THE mum of a Frenchay teenager undergoing cancer treatment has thanked the donors who have helped her regain her confidence.
Meadow Ferns, who is 13, lost her hair during chemotherapy treatment for leukaemia.
During 52 consecutive days in Bristol Children’s Hospital, she suffered a lumbar puncture leak, where fluid escaped from her spinal column, kidney failure, a collapsed heart valve and a growth on her lung.
But it was the loss of her hair which most affected the former St Augustine of Canterbury Catholic Primary School pupil, who has autism.
Mum Sarah said Meadow was gripped by anxiety that the wig she was given could be pulled or fall off, and was unwilling to leave her home.
Sarah found an alternative to a wig called Intralace, which uses a breathable mesh to combine Meadow’s existing hair with additional human hair, disguising her hair loss. It allows her own hair to grow back through the mesh.
However the system is only available privately and costs almost £2,000, with checks and adjustments needed every six weeks.
Sarah, a school administrator who has had to go part-time to be with Meadow during her treatment, launched an online appeal to help raise the money.
Since the appeal was highlighted in last month’s Voice, more than £950 has been given by more than 20 donors, many of them anonymous, to bring the total raised so far to £1,665.
Sarah added this to money she had saved, to pay for Meadow to have the Intralace system put on in a seven-hour process at the end of August. Enough has been donated to also pay for the initial adjustments needed as Meadow’s hair grows back.
The effect on Meadow, now a pupil of Sir Bernard Lovell Academy in Oldland Common, was immediate.
Sarah said: “The first day we came home I wanted to go shopping and asked her if she wanted to stay at home but she said ‘no, let’s go’.
“She’s back in school and she’s going outside again to play with her friends.
“She’s absolutely loving it – it’s opened doors that were completely closed to her.
“It’s made a huge difference.
“Before she would never even dream of going out with her friends, she would stay indoors and isolate herself.
“We’re very grateful to Voice readers – it wouldn’t have been possible without you.
“In this day and age, when there’s so much distrust, it’s a ray of light to see there are people out there who care enough to help someone they haven’t even met. It restores your faith in humanity.”