DENVER — Allison and Michael Carey’s wedding this summer was quite a celebration. Looking at the photos, you’d never guess that Allison was fighting breast cancer.
When the 27-year-old started chemotherapy earlier this year, she strongly considered canceling or postponing the wedding. She did not want wedding photos without any hair.
“I just wanted to look like myself,” she said.
Dr. Virginia Borges, an oncologist at University of Colorado Hospital, suggested the use of the DigniCap during chemo. The cooling cap can preserve hair.
“What it does is it lowers the temperature of the scalp so that the fair follicles don’t see the chemotherapy and by that happening the hair does not fall out at all or at least not to the same degree that it would have,” Borges said.
The doctor has found this can be very meaningful to many of her patients.
“They are not walking around the grocery store with everyone realizing oh she’s on the chemo, and it allows them that measure of privacy,” Borges said.
It worked pretty well for Allison. She says the cap was very cold, and at times painful, but worth it to her.
Her hair thinned, but she’s still got it.
“I think everyone has been super surprised at how healthy I look,” Allison said.
It’s still a rough road, but Allison is out in the world doing the things she loves with confidence.
On Sept. 20, UCHealth will hold the annual Men For The Cure event. It raises money for innovative efforts that benefit the breast center at UCHealth.
Men for the Cure helped to fund the launch of the DigniCap program at UCHealth.