Giving Children Back Their Confidence
Mission:
Founded in 2007 by Yvonne de Boer, Stichting Haarwensen is an organization that donates hairpieces and wigs to children who have lost their hair. Every year, around 600 young cancer patients lose their hair through chemotherapy. Additionally, dozens of children suffer from hair loss due to alopecia or a medical procedure.
Wigs are very expensive and health insurance often only reimburses a small amount of money to the patient and their families. Losing hair has a huge impact on the self-esteem and confidence of people, and for children especially it is important to not feel different from their peers. To date, Stichting Haarwensen has donated 1,880 hairpieces to children.
Why It Matters:
The founder of Stichting Haarwensen, Yvonne de Boer, posted a video earlier this year. You can clearly see the distress in her eyes when discussing how Covid-19 is causing a severe reduction in donations. Due to these circumstances, they will be forced in choosing one child over the other as costs exceed the demand. This is heartbreaking. TEAM LEWIS is proud to be able to support the Stichting Haarwensen foundation during this time.
“My mother was only 38 years old when she died of breast cancer. I was 7 years old. And one of the things I always will remember was her wig and the importance of it. She wore it proudly; it made her feel less ill and gave her self-confidence.” Kirsten Spoelstra, TEAM LEWIS Senior Account Manager, TEAM LEWIS Amsterdam.