Mette, 56 years old, lives in Horsens and has two adult children, a boyfriend of almost 14 years, and a middle management job in the Region of Southern Denmark, where she manages an IT operations area with almost 30 employees.
Mette's journey with breast cancer begins in September 2023, as her life takes an unexpected turn when she is diagnosed with breast cancer. The treatment course was extensive and consisted of breast-conserving surgery, six rounds of chemotherapy from November 2022 to March 2023, followed by 15 radiation treatments in April and May 2023. After that, she began medical treatment with hormone-suppressing medication.
COLD CAPS BY CHANCE
Before my chemotherapy, I attended an information meeting called “chemo school”. Here I was informed about side effects and precautions during treatment. It was during this meeting that I was lucky enough to meet a woman with a foreign background who told me about her family members who had used cold caps during chemotherapy abroad. This random conversation would prove to be crucial for my treatment.
After the meeting, I became curious and immediately started googling. This led me to Rapunzel ApS and Anette Paisol, who had cold caps in stock. I contacted her quickly and got all the equipment I needed to start the treatment. I asked the oncologists at Skejby Hospital if I could use the cold caps, and they had no objections. I was greeted with kindness and understanding at the hospital during all the chemo treatments and it was nice and safe.
From my first chemo treatment in November 2022 and through all six treatments, I used cold caps. My boyfriend or my daughter helped change the caps every 20 minutes to ensure my scalp was adequately cooled (nowadays thicker caps have been introduced that are changed every 30 minutes). The hospital staff were welcoming and friendly, but we didn't talk much about it – perhaps out of consideration for the other patients who had lost their hair.
HAIR BECAME MY STRENGTH
For me, it meant an unspeakable amount not to lose all my hair. Having breast cancer comes with a bunch of challenges: accepting a potentially life-threatening illness (both my mother and grandmother have had breast cancer), multiple hospital visits, surgeries, and uncertainty. But thanks to the cold caps, I didn't have to struggle with looking sick and different.
It allowed me to maintain a sense of normalcy. I could go to work without being “the one with breast cancer,” shop without feeling the stares, and participate in social activities without being constantly reminded of the disease and carrying the burden of illness as a visible factor for everyone. For me, it wasn’t just a cosmetic benefit; it was an important part of maintaining my identity and mental strength in the midst of a difficult time.
MY REFLECTIONS
During the treatment, I encountered curiosity from other patients, but also a feeling of injustice. I only had this opportunity because I happened to get the information at the right time. Many patients do not know about the cold caps and therefore do not get the opportunity to prevent hair loss.
I hope my story can raise awareness about the need to make cold caps available to all Danish patients. It is about giving patients the right to choose how they want to deal with the side effects of their treatment. We must work to ensure that all cancer patients have equal access to the information and options that can make a difference to their life quality.