Want to donate hair to cancer patients?

The year was 2009. At that time, Shimanto Mitra was studying in the fifth grade. He witnessed someone close to him battling the final stages of cancer. The impact of chemotherapy was evident as the person's hair fell out. Shimanto, despite his young age, was deeply affected by this incident. Since then, a desire was born within him to do something for cancer patients, something that could bring smiles to their faces.

Shimanto's dreams came true in the year 2020. During the Covid-19 pandemic, he came across various videos regarding the donation of hair to cancer patients in different regions of India. At that time, many individuals in India were cutting their hair and using it to create wigs for cancer patients. This incident left a lasting impression on Shimanto.

At the time, Shimanto was a student at a university in Khulna. With the university closed due to the pandemic and inspired by these videos, Shimanto seized the opportunity to turn his aspirations into reality.

Shimanto began exploring whether any organisations in Bangladesh were involved in similar programs. Unfortunately, he found little success in this search, as there were no recent initiatives of this nature in the country. Undeterred, Shimanto decided to take matters into his own hands. 

He resolved to initiate a socially conscious programme to provide wigs made from donated hair to cancer patients in Bangladesh, thus establishing 'Bangladesh Hair Donation - For Cancer Patients,' with the motto 'Let's Build Bangladesh Together.'

How it began

Initially, Shimanto started on his own. He started his work by creating a page and group on Facebook. Initially informing close friends and acquaintances about his intentions, Shimanto was soon joined by three friends who expressed interest in advancing his cause.

"Us students don't always have stable finances. It's not always possible to help someone economically. At that time, I thought that if a platform could be created where one could help others in a significant way without involving monetary transactions, it would be great. So, I started this initiative for cancer patients," Shimanto explained.

Finding hair donors was the most critical requirement for making wigs for cancer patients. Shimanto began searching for individuals voluntarily willing to donate hair for cancer patients through various social media groups. In December 2020, the organisation recorded its first hair donor, a resident of Jashore named Disha. Subsequently, she joined the organisation.

Starting as a new organisation, along with the sensitive nature of the work and the need to establish trust among the general public in Bangladesh, it took some time for Shimanto's initiative to gain popularity. Therefore, in the early days, hair donors were not as abundant. However, starting from the middle of 2022, the organisation gradually gained popularity and the number of donors increased.

However, simply having donors or hair wouldn't suffice. For the processing and production of wigs, a facility was necessary. Here, Uttorar Vertex Hair, a company dedicated to manufacturing wigs, came into play. Owned by Milon Mahmud, the company has been actively involved in the production of wigs for Shimanto's cause.

Donors happy after donating hair

So far, around 60 to 70 people from all over Bangladesh have donated hair to Bangladesh Hair Donation - For Cancer Patients. Among them are students, employees and entrepreneurs.

One such donor is Souradeep Dasgupta, who works at the British Council in Bangladesh. He had regular experience with hair donation in the past. After growing his hair for about two and a half years, he donated his hair to Shimanto's organisation.

"A friend of mine works in cancer research. I first came to know about this institution from him. My hair donation experience here is very good. I have seen cancer survivors myself. Someone very close in my family is now battling cancer. It is not only the physical problems that occur during this time but there is a huge emotional impact as well," said Souradeep.

Another donor like Saurodeep Dasgupta is Ritisha Maitra. With the encouragement of her mother, Rituporna Adhikari, Ritisha, a seventh grader at Viqarunnisa Noon School, donated her hair. 

"I have had long hair since childhood. I didn't trim it much. But when my mother told me I could donate my hair to cancer patients, I felt very excited. By taking this initiative, I have been able to bring joy to cancer patients; that's why I feel very good," said Ritisha.  

"After hearing about it once, my daughter got involved in this initiative. What could be more rewarding than helping another person!" added Ritisha's mother Rituporna.

Ramis Fariha, a student of the Women and Gender Studies department at Dhaka University, has also joined the initiative.

"I found them through Facebook. I didn't know other things could also be donated, besides money. I always liked my long hair. I was a bit scared during the haircutting process because I had never cut so much hair before. But as I am helping someone, it felt good afterwards," said Rumis

After growing her hair for over two and a half years, Lerio Rishil has also donated her hair. She stated, "Many people tried to dissuade me. But I decided to donate my hair no matter what."

One condition for donating hair

Bangladesh Hair Donation-For Cancer Patients have one condition for donating hair. 

"The hair length should be a minimum of 14 to 15 inches. After the hair is collected, it is sent to the factory. About 12 to 13 inches of hair remain after processing. Cancer patients need 12 inches of hair to create a neck-length wig," said Shimanto.

"Any boy or girl can donate hair here. Hair donation is possible, even if the hair is dyed. All hair types, curly and straight are okay. But the hair length must be 14 to 15 inches," he added.

Donors can nominate a cancer patient if they wish. Donors often nominate cancer patients who get the wigs and the organisation chooses the rest. Each wig requires three to four people's hair and takes about 15 days to make. Bangladesh Hair Donation-For Cancer Patients has delivered wigs to eight cancer patients so far.

In the beginning, Shimanto Mitra worked on his own, without his family's knowledge. After the family members came to know about this great initiative, they supported him, but he could not avoid the taunts of the neighbours. Shimanto has faced both good and bad experiences. Along with praise, he had to face many challenges. He received many calls from abroad offering to buy hair, but Shimanto is reluctant to sell hair. 

"We do not sell hair in this organisation. Since we are receiving donations, we collect the hair and send it to the factory. Then, after being processed from there, we donate to cancer patients," he said.

Along with the increase in the organisation's success, the number of fraudsters has also increased. Many fraudsters contact hair donors and use the organisation's name to obtain hair. So, Shimanto has urged everyone not to respond if someone calls from a number other than the official number of the organisation and asks for hair by pretending to be a volunteer.

Future plans

Currently, Bangladesh Hair Donation - For Cancer Patients only has an online presence. However, Shimanto plans to institutionalise the organisation.

Other than Shimanto, four other people are involved in the management of the organisation and 30 to 40 volunteers work under their leadership across the country.

To donate hair, all you need to do is contact the organisation's Facebook page. Moreover, you might get a quicker response by calling the contact number provided on their Facebook page.

Also, a hair salon called "Barbaret" in Dhanmondi, the capital, is working jointly with Bangladesh Hair Donation - For Cancer Patients. Anyone can donate hair through them as well.

Shimanto said people are not that aware of cancer in Bangladesh. That is why he has been endeavouring to connect cancer patients with doctors across the country through digital media to ensure proper treatment.