Help support chemo patients with hair loss
The Healing Hair is an organization that improves the lives of cancer patients who lose their hair as a result of chemotherapy treatments. It provides a new approach to hair loss by using the cancer patient’s own hair to create a hair prosthesis for them.
Why would you want your own hair as apposed to a wig?
Ask yourself: If you had to choose between your own hair, someone else’s, or synthetic hair, which would you choose? Try to imagine the emotions cancer patients have about losing their hair. Hair loss in women can be absolutely devastating for the sufferer's self-image and emotional well being. It often results in loss of self-esteem, anxiety and depression, social anxiety, and acute feelings of a loss of control.[i] In addition, “While hair loss itself can present psychological and emotional problems for a woman, failure of others to recognize the seriousness of these problems may contribute additionally to psychological and emotional effects that can range from decreased self-esteem to anxiety and depression”.[ii] It may come as a shock to find out just how big a deal hair loss can be during cancer treatments: for some patients: hair loss is often the thing that they dread most about cancer treatment. Being diagnosed with cancer is a traumatic experience in itself, and facing the emotional distress of hair loss in the face of this *dis-ease can be crippling for an individual.[iii]
The Healing Hair's mission is to improve the lives of those affected by hair loss in their healing process by providing them with a sense of confidence and a positive self-image by using their own hair to create the highest quality hair prostheses. We are committed to improving quality of life and bringing back a sense of normalcy and emotional well-being to all of those affected by hair loss.
The idea for this mission arose when I was approached by a friend who was diagnosed with breast cancer. She asked if I could help her when the inevitable time came to cut off her hair, and if I could somehow attach her braids to the inside of her hat. I then approached several local hair salons for hair donations so that I could design and perfect the process that would create the highest quality hair prostheses. After creating braids for my friend, and seeing how much comfort they gave her, I knew that I wanted to help as many people as I could with this same concept.
Being in my mid-thirties, I am finding myself surrounded by friends and relatives with cancer. Having gone through a devastating loss of one of my closest friends on my thirty-second birthday, my eyes have been opened to how close of a connection we all have to someone affected by this horrific dis-ease. The sooner The Healing Hair reaches our fundraising goal of $35,000, the sooner we will be able to promote and produce this product which can help those affected by cancer-related hair loss regain a sense of normalcy and self-confidence.
I have exhausted my personal resources and finances trying to set up a workspace in my home, acquiring the materials needed to create a prosthesis, and building the equipment to experiment with gluing techniques and making product samples. I have come to FundRazr to raise the capital necessary to start manufacturing a retail product that can reach more people than I am currently able to help.
All money raised through FundRazr will go directly to building the infrastructure of The Healing Hair. Your generous donation will help us to do the following:
• to set up and pay for the creation of a website
• to create a marketing and advertising campaign
• to attend medical trade shows which are a crucial marketing tool for our product
• to retain the services of a patent lawyer in order to obtain a patent on our product and process
• to purchase more production materials
• to expand our workshop for greater production
Marketing
We have created a presence through social media, but in order to truly market our product we need to pay for the design of a good-looking, branded, optimized website through which people can both learn about and order their own Healing Hair prosthesis. We also need to hire a marketing firm to create a logo and brand book for us, to maintain our website through programming and ongoing content generation, and to oversee other types of advertising through print media and television. We have received quotes of $15,000 to cover graphic design, website creation and maintenance, branding, and minimal print advertisement.
Estimated cost: $15,000
Trade Shows
It is vital that we start attending medical trade shows in order to promote our product to target audiences who will be able to initiate the entrance of our product into the medical market. Trade shows, summits, expos, and conferences will serve as a crucial promotional forum for our product and for education of the public about the unique and healing aspects of our hair prostheses. The name of the game is getting the product to the people who are in need, expanding our outreach so people know we exist, and letting them know that we are here to help them.
The attendance rates for vendors at trade shows ranges from $2500-$7000. This fee is just for the registration and the booth spot, and does not include equipment and travel costs. Our goal is to attend the FIME trade show in Miami Florida in August 2013. FIME is the largest medical purchasing trade show in the US and will thus allow us to tap into tens of thousands of potential investors from all over the world!!! Exhibit booth rates for this three-day trade show are $6900. We estimate another $2500 will be needed for equipment costs for the booth set-up, transportation, hotel stays, and meals.
Estimated cost: $7400
Patent
Before we can begin marketing our product through advertsiting and trade shows, it is crucial that we obtain a patent. Research has shown that once a promising product enters the market, it will be less than a year before the idea is copied if a patent has not been obtained. Anyone can obtain a patent for a few hundred dollars, but we have spoken to patent lawyers and other experts who have advised us an airtight patent that will hold up in court will cost approximately $5000 to obtain. This is a vital and necessary protection of our intellectual property.
Estimated cost: $5000
Production Materials and Workshop Expansion
In order to protect the intellectual property of our process, I cannot divulge the materials needed or the details of my workshop expansion. That being said, for not very much money I can obtain the materials to both produce a high volume of prostheses and to expand my workshop to facilitate this production. As an experienced carpenter, I can undertake the workshop expansion myself and only need the cost of materials.
Estimated cost: $7600
At The Healing Hair, we believe in the power of community, we believe in neighbors helping neighbors. From the cancer patents, to their families and friends, and all of us at The Healing Hair, we appreciate your support. Thank you!
________________________________
[i] International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery, ‘Hair Loss in Women and Its Effects on Quality of Life’, International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery Site,
http://www.ishrs.org/articles/hair-loss-women-life.htm, Consulted December 19, 2012.
[ii] Ibid.
[iii] Dis-ease is a hyphenated variation of the word "disease." The term dis-ease is used by individuals and healing communities who are aligned with wellness, choosing not to empower health issues by focusing on a particular ailment. The intent is to place emphasis on the natural state of "ease" being imbalanced or disrupted.
Why would you want your own hair as apposed to a wig?
Ask yourself: If you had to choose between your own hair, someone else’s, or synthetic hair, which would you choose? Try to imagine the emotions cancer patients have about losing their hair. Hair loss in women can be absolutely devastating for the sufferer's self-image and emotional well being. It often results in loss of self-esteem, anxiety and depression, social anxiety, and acute feelings of a loss of control.[i] In addition, “While hair loss itself can present psychological and emotional problems for a woman, failure of others to recognize the seriousness of these problems may contribute additionally to psychological and emotional effects that can range from decreased self-esteem to anxiety and depression”.[ii] It may come as a shock to find out just how big a deal hair loss can be during cancer treatments: for some patients: hair loss is often the thing that they dread most about cancer treatment. Being diagnosed with cancer is a traumatic experience in itself, and facing the emotional distress of hair loss in the face of this *dis-ease can be crippling for an individual.[iii]
The Healing Hair's mission is to improve the lives of those affected by hair loss in their healing process by providing them with a sense of confidence and a positive self-image by using their own hair to create the highest quality hair prostheses. We are committed to improving quality of life and bringing back a sense of normalcy and emotional well-being to all of those affected by hair loss.
The idea for this mission arose when I was approached by a friend who was diagnosed with breast cancer. She asked if I could help her when the inevitable time came to cut off her hair, and if I could somehow attach her braids to the inside of her hat. I then approached several local hair salons for hair donations so that I could design and perfect the process that would create the highest quality hair prostheses. After creating braids for my friend, and seeing how much comfort they gave her, I knew that I wanted to help as many people as I could with this same concept.
Being in my mid-thirties, I am finding myself surrounded by friends and relatives with cancer. Having gone through a devastating loss of one of my closest friends on my thirty-second birthday, my eyes have been opened to how close of a connection we all have to someone affected by this horrific dis-ease. The sooner The Healing Hair reaches our fundraising goal of $35,000, the sooner we will be able to promote and produce this product which can help those affected by cancer-related hair loss regain a sense of normalcy and self-confidence.
I have exhausted my personal resources and finances trying to set up a workspace in my home, acquiring the materials needed to create a prosthesis, and building the equipment to experiment with gluing techniques and making product samples. I have come to FundRazr to raise the capital necessary to start manufacturing a retail product that can reach more people than I am currently able to help.
All money raised through FundRazr will go directly to building the infrastructure of The Healing Hair. Your generous donation will help us to do the following:
• to set up and pay for the creation of a website
• to create a marketing and advertising campaign
• to attend medical trade shows which are a crucial marketing tool for our product
• to retain the services of a patent lawyer in order to obtain a patent on our product and process
• to purchase more production materials
• to expand our workshop for greater production
Marketing
We have created a presence through social media, but in order to truly market our product we need to pay for the design of a good-looking, branded, optimized website through which people can both learn about and order their own Healing Hair prosthesis. We also need to hire a marketing firm to create a logo and brand book for us, to maintain our website through programming and ongoing content generation, and to oversee other types of advertising through print media and television. We have received quotes of $15,000 to cover graphic design, website creation and maintenance, branding, and minimal print advertisement.
Estimated cost: $15,000
Trade Shows
It is vital that we start attending medical trade shows in order to promote our product to target audiences who will be able to initiate the entrance of our product into the medical market. Trade shows, summits, expos, and conferences will serve as a crucial promotional forum for our product and for education of the public about the unique and healing aspects of our hair prostheses. The name of the game is getting the product to the people who are in need, expanding our outreach so people know we exist, and letting them know that we are here to help them.
The attendance rates for vendors at trade shows ranges from $2500-$7000. This fee is just for the registration and the booth spot, and does not include equipment and travel costs. Our goal is to attend the FIME trade show in Miami Florida in August 2013. FIME is the largest medical purchasing trade show in the US and will thus allow us to tap into tens of thousands of potential investors from all over the world!!! Exhibit booth rates for this three-day trade show are $6900. We estimate another $2500 will be needed for equipment costs for the booth set-up, transportation, hotel stays, and meals.
Estimated cost: $7400
Patent
Before we can begin marketing our product through advertsiting and trade shows, it is crucial that we obtain a patent. Research has shown that once a promising product enters the market, it will be less than a year before the idea is copied if a patent has not been obtained. Anyone can obtain a patent for a few hundred dollars, but we have spoken to patent lawyers and other experts who have advised us an airtight patent that will hold up in court will cost approximately $5000 to obtain. This is a vital and necessary protection of our intellectual property.
Estimated cost: $5000
Production Materials and Workshop Expansion
In order to protect the intellectual property of our process, I cannot divulge the materials needed or the details of my workshop expansion. That being said, for not very much money I can obtain the materials to both produce a high volume of prostheses and to expand my workshop to facilitate this production. As an experienced carpenter, I can undertake the workshop expansion myself and only need the cost of materials.
Estimated cost: $7600
At The Healing Hair, we believe in the power of community, we believe in neighbors helping neighbors. From the cancer patents, to their families and friends, and all of us at The Healing Hair, we appreciate your support. Thank you!
________________________________
[i] International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery, ‘Hair Loss in Women and Its Effects on Quality of Life’, International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery Site,
http://www.ishrs.org/articles/hair-loss-women-life.htm, Consulted December 19, 2012.
[ii] Ibid.
[iii] Dis-ease is a hyphenated variation of the word "disease." The term dis-ease is used by individuals and healing communities who are aligned with wellness, choosing not to empower health issues by focusing on a particular ailment. The intent is to place emphasis on the natural state of "ease" being imbalanced or disrupted.
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