Jennifer ▶ NY

Jennifer | New York
Age: 47
Diagnosis: IDC Estrogen/HER2 positive Stage 1
Chemotherapy Regimen: Taxol
Total Treatments: 12
Oncology Clinic: Mt Sinai- Dubin Breast Center

Tell us about yourself.
I live in NYC with my two young children, ages 7 and 4, and my husband. I work as a language and communication specialist at the United Nations.

How did you find out about DigniCap?
I was fortunate to have gone to the Dubin Breast Center for treatment in NYC. My doctor, Dr Elisa Port, and her team gave me all the information and a link to order my DigniCap.

“We lose a lot with cancer, and I felt if I had control over at least one thing like preserving my hair, I should do it.“

Did you have a successful experience using DigniCap?
I used DigniCap for my 12 rounds of Taxol and had great success. I followed the care instructions and had no shedding during my treatment and some shedding after treatment.

Why was keeping your hair during chemotherapy important to you?
We lose a lot with cancer, and I felt if I had control over at least one thing like preserving my hair, I should do it. My job as an instructor and trainer to people in-person left me feeling anxious about losing hair. Also, I have 2 young children, ages 7 and 4, and I wanted to keep as much normalcy as possible for them.

How did keeping your hair affect you, and those around you?
I lost my eyebrows, eyelashes, and confidence in public spaces. It also confused my young children. I cannot imagine what it would have been like to have my hair fall out in clumps with no way of fixing it. I have always liked my hair and feel like my hair is a big part of my identity. I also often present in front of others and try to create comfortable spaces for learning. Cancer makes people feel uneasy. Also, I feel preserving my hair shielded my children a bit more from the realities of chemotherapy. I feel so grateful to have had control over at least one thing during treatment.

What advice would you give to someone who is going through a similar experience, or who has recently been diagnosed and is considering scalp cooling?
Scalp cooling is not always easy. Having someone stay with you or a good book/movie is a good distraction. My doctor also prescribed something if I was feeling very anxious about the cap since it is quite cold at first. Overall, I am so happy insurance covered it (all insurance will cover it in NY pretty soon!). It was very worth it. My hair didn’t change a bit.