Medical Reports: Cancer Care

WSVN -- Robin Brezicki knows fighting her cancer with chemotherapy means losing her long red hair, a side effect difficult to face.

Robin Brezicki: "Trying to accept it. The first thing you go through is your image, what you're going to look like. You're fighting the inside and the outside."

Robin courageously decided she would donate her hair to Locks of Love, an organization that makes wigs out of human hair for cancer patients.

Robin Brezicki: "So cutting it is really a big deal because it's like accepting that you're going to lose it and putting it to good use, so this is really a big step for me."

The harsh side effects of cancer treatments can be tough on a patient. That's why Memorial Hospital West is opening the Image Recovery Center, a salon and spa for people coping with cancer.

Trish Alonso: "As they are going through treatment, the physical needs are coming over here, and the medical needs are being met over there."

On one side of the new center, patients can receive their treatment in state-of-the-art chemo rooms, while on the other side they can get a massage or have their nails done with formaldehyde-free polish.

Trish Alonso: "We'll provide them with wigs, with hats, with scarves. We'll do pedicures and manicures. We'll do their makeup. We'll do skin care."

Doctors say a center like this is important because patients need to stay positive.

Dr. Atif Hussein: "We all know healthy self-esteem and body image are the cornerstones to a positive outlook."

After donating her hair, Robin was fitted for a wig and given a special makeover. She knows she has a long battle ahead of her but says just knowing there is a place she can go to look and feel better means a lot.

Robin Brezicki: "I was just spinning out of control with all my emotions and everything I was going through, so this was just a warm place to come and a family, and they really take care of everything about you here."

Diana Diaz: "Patients don't have to worry because every product used is physician-approved. The treatments are covered by most insurance companies. The Image Recover Center officially opens April 14."

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Memorial Hospital West
703 North Flamingo Road
Pembroke Pines, FL 33028
(954) 436-5000
www.memorialwest.com