In a bold move, boys and girls donate hair for cancer cause

 Mumbai Boy donates his hair at Oberoi Mall to support Hair for Hope India campaign

Losing hair is something unimaginable for anyone. And to see it fall in clumps helplessly during chemo is perhaps more painful than the therapy itself. It becomes difficult to look in the mirror as your reflection becomes your worst enemy. A bald head without eye brows and lashes depresses the patient more than anything else. So a wig with natural hair is perhaps the most precious gift for any patient undergoing chemo. It restores their dignity and self esteem.

In association with Hair For Hope India, Oberoi Mall hosted a unique campaign “Protect Your Mom (PYM)” to spread awareness about breast cancer on September 26, 2014.Boys and girls parted away with their tresses, flash mob performed,  an enthralling  dance performance at the event that was held ahead of the ‘Pink’ October.

 Mumbai Girl donor parting away with her tresses for Hair for Hope India at Oberoi Mall

While the girls cut short their tresses for making wigs and providing it to the economically challenged chemo patients, the boys showed their support parting away with their long grown hair as well. The campaign reached to over 5000 people across digital media.

As the name itself suggests, the main target were “Mothers” because they are usually too busy to check for early signs of breast cancer though tey could be aware of the symptoms. The aim was to convince  them for self-examination as a prevention.

Mumbai Girls donating their hair at Oberoi Mall for Hair for Hope India Campaign

Premi Mathew, Founder and CEO at Hair for Hope India,  elated with the response, said, “It was a complete delight to see the youths and elders alike come together for a cause and selflessly donate hair for someone else’s smile. Through ‘Protect Your Mom’ we tried putting a thought in the minds of women to examine for the early detection of breast cancer. We now hope that many mothers will religiously do  self examination.”

Mr. Nirzar Jain, Vice President, Oberoi Mall said, “When Premi Mathew from Dubai approached us for conducting “Protect Your Mom” campaign at the mall, we were a little skeptical wondering how would Mumbai respond to this first of its kind event. But today seeing the huge response from Mumbaikars, it certainly is  a moment of pride for us at Oberoi Mall to have hosted this wonderful event and did our bit to support the cause. The mall attracts hundreds of families and the unique way of messaging the families is truly commendable.”

According to GLOBOCAN (WHO), for the year 2012, an estimated 70218 women died in India due to breast cancer, more than any other country in the world. To make people aware of the seriousness,  PYM launched the campaign to make all understand that early detection of the disease can increase survival rates up to 98%.The performances at Oberoi Mall were themed to urge women for regular self-examination and depicted the consequences a person faces who refrains from doing it.

About Protect Your Mom campaign:

It was started by Premi Mathew,to make the students pester their moms to check for lumps (a tiny painless stone in the breast whichpeople usually ignore) and early signs of breast cancer. The campaign has already inspired many events all over UAE involving over 30000 students.

About Hair for Hope India: 

It was started in June 19, 2013 by Premi Mathew to create awareness about hair donation. An initiative to encourage hair donations in India and ensure that hair does not end up in the bin. Its the first major hair donation campaign in India which actually donates wigs to chemo patients and hasinspired over 3000 hair donations in 10 months.

About Oberoi Mall:

The Oberoi Mall is located at Goregaon (East) on the Western Express Highway and offers almost 5.52 lakh square feet of Fun, Food, Fashion and Films. It has occupied a significant position in the minds of customers and retailers. By reflecting and enabling customers’ lifestyles and delivering affordable luxury with a philosophy of ‘customer first’, the Mall has distinguished itself as something truly special on the retail landscape. Pioneered by the real estate development company, Oberoi Realty Ltd. (popularly known as Oberoi Constructions) Oberoi Mall has found a unique niche amongst quality conscious and discerning customers and offers facilities that include two levels of basement with a parking capacity for approximately 1,000 cars, a large central atrium with natural light, elevators and escalators for internal circulation, central air-conditioning and an integrated building management system.