Beyond medicine: Initiative restores dignity and hope to cancer patients and survivors

For many cancer patients, healing goes beyond chemotherapy and radiotherapy. It is about restoring dignity, hope, and the confidence to face life again.

Cancer often changes not only how one feels inside but also how one looks and lives. The side effects can be physically and emotionally draining — from loss of hair and removal of body organs such as breasts to bleeding or discharges that require adult diapers or sanitary pads.

These changes can leave patients feeling less confident, self-conscious, and withdrawn from the world around them.

The Wigs and Wings Drive, in collaboration with Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH), held a charity event on Friday with an initiative that seeks to restore confidence and a sense of normalcy to patients battling cancer.

When the first Wigs and Wings charity events were held, the focus was on offering wigs and sanitary towels to female patients. As the organisers became more familiar with the realities of cancer, they realised that not all cancers cause hair loss or require sanitary pads.

Some women needed prosthetic breasts, others needed grooming care, and many men were quietly battling cancers that left them struggling both physically and emotionally.

Over time, the initiative evolved to embrace a broader approach that includes general grooming, provision of adult diapers, prosthetic breasts, food items, and self-care donations. It has also expanded its reach to include male cancer patients, recognising that they too deserve dignity and psychosocial support in their recovery journey.

Now in its fifth edition, the Wigs and Wings Charity Event brought together patients, caregivers, and well-wishers at the KNH Helipad to celebrate courage and community through grooming, music, and acts of kindness.

Rachel Nyokabi Kariuki, a 53-year-old breast cancer survivor, says the day gave her more than she expected.
“When both my breasts were removed, I felt incomplete. I used to walk holding my chest because I feared people would notice,” she said softly.
“When I received a prosthetic and a bra, I started feeling like myself again. It gave me courage to smile.”

She recalls how the atmosphere shifted as the morning unfolded. “When we arrived, most of us were quiet, low, and just looking down. After the sessions, you could see everyone laughing, talking, full of life again,” she said.
“Even I had shaved my hair, and now with this wig on, I feel beautiful. It’s not just about looks; it’s about dignity.”

Rachel began her cancer journey in 2021 and has undergone surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy at KNH. Her gratitude runs deep, but she also hopes for more government support.
“Kenyatta needs working radiotherapy and PET scan machines. When they break down, we are forced to go to private hospitals where the costs are too high,” she said. “Treatment is not the only thing we need. Sometimes, we just want to feel cared for.”

Robert Marine, a childhood cancer survivor of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma — a type of cancer that affects the body’s immune system by attacking the lymph nodes — is today the Executive Director of Champions of Hope, an organisation that supports cancer patients and survivors.

He describes events like these as vital to healing beyond medicine. “Healing begins with the mind,” he said.
“When patients meet, share experiences, and see others who have overcome, it gives them the will to keep fighting. I was 12 when I was diagnosed, and I know that hope can change everything.”

The journey back to life is not just medical but emotional for Robert. “After surviving, you realise there’s life after cancer, but many patients need to be reminded of that. When someone helps you feel seen again, it stays with you,” he said.

The Wigs and Wings Drive started as a simple idea among stylists who wanted to use their craft to give back.

According to chairperson Samuel Sande, compassion was at its heart. “I once had a client who stopped coming to the salon. When I found her, she told me she had cancer and was afraid to be seen. That moment changed me,” he said.
“We decided to do something that touches our line of work — to make them feel beautiful again.”

From a small group of stylists, the initiative has grown into a movement reaching hundreds of patients every year.
“When we started, we only worked with women. Then we realised men also suffer in silence. They are breadwinners who rarely talk about their pain,” Sande said. “So now we include them too.”

During the event, female patients received wigs, prosthetic breasts, grooming sessions, care hampers, and food items, while men were treated to haircuts, manicures, pedicures, adult diapers, and essentials.
“It may sound small, but when a patient looks in the mirror and smiles again, that’s healing,” Sande added.

The initiative has since drawn support from partners and well-wishers, including Ingeria and Ngugi Advocates as legal advisors, Lady Luck for prosthetic breasts, UTU, Lush Hair, Linton’s College, and salons such as Hair Castle and Rapunzel.

KNH provides the venue and access to patients, while donations from individuals and groups sustain the effort.

Sande says their goal remains simple — to make patients feel valued. “We are not doctors, but we believe service to humanity is service to God. If we can help a patient smile today, that’s a victory.”