Subiaco caregivers shave for a cure

St John of God Subiaco Hospital oncology nurses have raised an incredible $30,000 as part of the World’s Greatest Shave 2020.

3 Jun 2020

Clinical nurses Sara Jaenke, Tracy Milne and Julie Taylor and clinical nurse consultant Hazel Everett shaved their hair to bring normalcy to the unfortunate part of hair loss that comes with cancer treatment.

Mrs Everett said she saw the fear and worry women experienced as they anticipated losing their hair because of cancer treatment.

“We want to say this is a normal, unfortunate part of treatment and to be mindful that this could happen to you or someone you know,” she said.

“We stand by them and totally understand it’s not the nicest thing. We’re here supporting patients and advocating for them as well as raising funds.”

Mrs Everett said from a clinician’s standpoint, it can be hard for patients to talk to nurses about hair loss and it is challenging for nurses to fully comprehend the toll hair loss can take on a patient’s wellbeing.

“A lot of our patients say to us, ‘I don’t want people looking at me strange’ and that’s something I couldn’t understand, but now I have a unique perspective going forward – maybe this will allow us to give our patients ways to cope,” she said.

Learn more about St John of God Subiaco Hospital’s comprehensive cancer care.