A very personal donation
Amanda Rossi is willing to take action to support people facing cancer. “I really believe people should do what they can,” she says. Rossi demonstrated that conviction when she cut her hair short.
“I have had family members and friends of family who have had cancer,” says Rossi, a Canadian Institutes of Health Research Vanier Scholar and PhD candidate in Concordia’s Special Individualized Program. “I’ve always had long hair and knew I could contribute,” says Rossi.
Anyone who has ever watched someone struggle with cancer is aware of both the devastation of the disease and the ravages caused by its treatment. Programs creating and distributing wigs for people undergoing chemotherapy are valuable.
Rossi just cut off 14 inches of hair to donate toward a wig for a cancer patient. Although her hair was long five years ago when she first made her decision, she had dyed it blonde. In keeping with the guidelines for donations, she had to cut off her processed hair and grow a minimum 10-inch ponytail.
Rossi is donating to Order Quality Wigs Inc., the only Quebec wigmaker affiliated with the Canadian Cancer Society. According to spokesperson Raphael Barchichat, the company receives hundreds of donations annually through their non-profit foundation. It generally takes 12 to 16 such donations to make a single wig. Order Quality Wigs makes wigs for cancer patients under 18 years of age.
Rossi’s field is health, but her research does not involve cancer. She is interested in the physiology and epidemiology of cardiovascular diseases. The project, under the supervision of Simon Bacon, in the Department of Exercise Science, earned Rossi a CIHR Vanier Scholarship. Rossi is building a database that references a range of physiological, socio-demographic, psychological and behavioural factors to better understand what contributes to cardiovascular disease development. She seeks to pinpoint prevention strategies and opportunities to intervene in its progression, as well as improve current diagnostic tools and existing treatments.
This is not Rossi’s first cancer donation. In October, she participated in the CIBC Run for the Cure to raise money for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.