Strada Salon Information

Strada Salon and Day Spa has a history of working with organizations such as Locks of Love which is a well-established nonprofit organization dedicated to gathering donated hair for children's wigs. This group provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children across the U.S. Who suffer from long-tern medical hair loss. These children receive custom-made and fitted wigs made from donated human hair for free or on a sliding scale based on need. Strada Salon and Day Spa has expertise in what is acceptable for donated hair. For, example the hair must be at least 10 inches long, clean, dry and bundled into a ponytail or braid. Colored or permed hair is acceptable if it's not chemically damaged. Gray hair is not suitable for children's wigs. Most of the wig request come from girls, and they want long hair. That is why there is a minimum length. Hair as long as 14-16 inches is ideal. Shorthaired boy's and men's wigs are made from shorter lengths separated from longer ponytails/braids. Another organization we will be working with is Wigs for Kids another nonprofit group that accepts donated hair. This organization also gives hairpieces to children affected by medical hair loss. Their hair donation guidelines are slightly different - hair must be 12 inches long and must not be permed or color-treated in any way. We also wish to assist individuals suffering from an autoimmune skin disease called alopecia areata. This can cause patchy or complete hair loss that lasts for years. The cause of this disease is unknown, and currently has no cure. Therefore, Strada Salon and Day Spa will be the only resource in the community providing expertise, compassion, privacy and knowledge in these areas. The private rooms will not only give a cancer victim a more comfortable place for dealing with hair loss but the professional hairdresser will also provide counseling at their work station for those who may be a bit angry and depressed. Most hair salons do not provide private rooms and the individual must be further traumatized by having their situation addressed in front of other customers and staff. This is where we come in. We will be the only salon and day spa providing this very much needed service in the community. At the same time, we wish to be a provider of cancer information services as well as supporting the American Cancer Association We will advertise this service on the Internet, webpage and through media and television outlets. Given our resources and organization, we can meet the need in a very meaningful way. Need Assessment: Hair loss is one of the most well known side effects of cancer treatment. Hair loss is a common side effect of the cancer treatments of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Not all chemotherapy treatment causes hair loss. But the drugs taken can cause anything from making your hair thinner to it falling out completely. You may also have thinning or loss of eyelashes, eyebrows and other body hair. There is a definite need in the community for a full service salon which caters to cancer victims and the disabled. With our trained staff we wish to provide the expertise for fitting wigs for male and female adults and children. In addition, we can provide services for applying eyelashes and eyebrows since we have professional estheticians on staff. By 4 to 6 months after chemotherapy hair should be grown back fully. Hair can grow back the same as it was or be thicker or thinner. Sometimes it can be a different color, or be curlier than it was before. This creates a need for a professional hairstylist team who can provide hair care with compassion. At times hair falls out in patches and the client may not wish to wear a wig, then again it is the job of the hairstylist to accommodate what feels comfortable for each cancer survivor. Hair loss and hair thinning can be very stressful. Some people find it to be the hardest part of having cancer and its treatment. This is understandable considering that our appearance is closely linked to feelings of self esteem. Trying to accept sudden changes in your body and appearance can be very hard. We propose to provide private rooms for trying on wigs as well as privacy for those who have little or no hair. This calls for again a compassionate understanding professional. Our professionals will explain the benefits of types of wigs, fitting for wigs and informing them of better ways to secure wigs using sticky adhesive pads to stop it from slipping. This would alleviate having to buy a wig from a supplier or manufacturer without the ability to have it custom fit. In addition, losing your hair is extremely emotional so we encourage bringing a relative or good friend to their wig fitting. Our trained cosmetologist will help you decide on a style and color that you are happy with. They will also provide a caring approach while a cancer survivor is getting used to the fact that they are going to lose their hair. Currently we do not have wheel chair access to the spa, shower facilities or bathroom. We wish to utilize funding to make our salon accessible to people afflicted with disabilities and who are wheel chair bound. We would be the only one stop resource for cancer survivors for hair care and wellness therapies. Therefore, we need funding for retrofitting and expansion of our facilities to meet the needs to this target population. Our facility is adjacent to a Day Care for handicapped adults and children. "In 2008 it is estimated that 142,070 Californians will be diagnosed with cancer. This is equivalent to more than 16 new cases every hour of every day Almost 84,000 Californians who get cancer this year will be alive five years after diagnosis. Cancer is the second leading cause of deaths in California causing more than 50,000 deaths each year. The expected new cancer cases in Santa Clara county for 2008, is estimated at 6,310 individuals. Despite improvement, nearly one out of every two Californians born today will develop cancer at some point in their lives and it is likely one in five will die of the disease. These are sobering statistics, but there is improvement in survival rates throughout the world.