Hundreds of women who lost their hair during cancer treatment have received free wigs from the Unique Boutique at Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital since its inception in 2015. Six auxiliary volunteers work one-on-one with patients in private sessions to find just the right wigs. Five of the volunteers are nurses. Five are breast cancer survivors.
“Hair is part of who we are,” says Linda Baker, the hospital’s retired ER director and a survivor who lost her hair during chemotherapy. “Some women embrace the baldness and wear hats and scarves like I did, but we’re all different. When they find the right wig and their faces light up, it’s hard not to cry.”
There’s a similar shop at Sentara Princess Anne Hospital in Virginia Beach, which operates in a small office on the 4th floor, and at Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center on the 2nd floor of the Geddy Outpatient Center. There is also a similar shop called Marianne's Room at Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital in Charlottesville and a program at Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center that is part of the hospital's cancer support program.
“They’re just caring, loving people who want to help others,” says Sentara Princess Anne auxiliary president Joyce Abbey, a former Guest Services employee. “We want our patients to feel important, and respected.”
The shops display wigs of all hair types on mannequins, plus baskets of hats and scarves to cover bald heads in style. There are beanie-type hats, sewn by volunteers from cotton tee shirts. There are knit hats in funky styles and colors made by church groups and The Yarn Club in Virginia Beach. There are ‘port pillows’ which attach to the shoulder belts in patients’ cars to cushion the chemotherapy ports in their chests. Every item comes free of charge. Wigs come with instructions on cleaning and grooming so they last as long as needed.
“It can take months for your hair to grow back,” says Jennifer Siegel, who survived breast cancer in 2018. “It takes a little work to keep them clean and looking their best.” Siegel used to work for Linda Baker and is in her 26th year as an ER nurse at Sentara Virginia Beach General.
“A synthetic wig can cost $300,” says Lori Miller, a real estate agent, survivor, and neighbor of the shop’s founder, Pat Phelan. “Most of our patients can’t afford that, but some of them write us a check when they leave, to contribute to the cause.”
The shops all feature antique dressing tables with large mirrors, where patients sit in a safe, private space with a volunteer to try on wigs and accessories. The hospitals donate the spaces.
“We can’t give clinical advice, but we can share our experiences,” Pat Phelan says. “When women’s hair starts falling out in the shower, I advise them to just cut it short, and come see us when the time is right for them.”
Patients come from as far away as the Eastern Shore and northeast North Carolina. They don’t have to be Sentara patients.
“We have so much fun,” says Ellie Bellio, who volunteers at the Williamsburg shop. “I’m a survivor myself and I try to help women feel like they can confide in me. We do wigs and hats and hugs and laughs and so much more.”
The shops were on hiatus during the pandemic, but they’re back in business and looking for patients to assist. It’s all informal, but the work is profound.
“They might come in scared and sad,” Pat Phelan says, “but then they find that wig and ‘Wow!’”
To make a private Unique Boutique appointment, leave a message:
Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital 757-395-8731
Sentara Princess Anne Hospital 757-525-5268
Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center 757-984-7195
Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital (Marianne's Room) 434-654-5454
Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center 703-523-1599
