Hair stylist Meir Ben Zikri, a lymphoma survivor, is giving back: Ben Zikri, 60, set up a small salon in the Kaplan Medical Center in Rehovot, where he cuts clients' hair free of charge, using it to create wigs for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.
The in-hospital styling center was a joint initiative of the hospital and Ben Zikri. "While I was undergoing treatment, I met a girl who had lost all of her hair and was able to help her find a good hair piece that gave her a lot of strength," he told Yedioth Ahronoth.
"Ever since then I've been trying to help these patients. The wigs give many of them the feeling of vitality despite the disease."
Ben Zikri in action (Photo courtesy of Kaplan Medical Center)
Voted Man of the Year by the volunteering group Lions Clubs International, Ben Zikri assists anyone seeking his services: "I style each client and the visit to the salon includes everything, including the regular maintenance of the hair piece, free of charge."
Ben Zikri would like to see his colleagues join in on the venture, saying that "stylists who volunteer here will have the unique training to deal with patients in the most difficult time of their lives.
"I urge stylists to volunteer. We actually have a shortage in hair, and any collected for this blessed purpose will go towards making wigs for the cancer patients treated at Kaplan. I call on any woman who has long hair and wants to cut it short to come to us."
Dr. Yaakov Yahav, Kaplan's chief of staff, added that "a patient's state of mind during treatment in crucial and having Ben Zikri here as part of the hospital's services as an important step towards putting the patients' needs first. I welcome this initiative and hope to see it thrive."
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