Cancer-stricken children find confidence with donated wigs

Nov 20, 2014

Cancer-stricken children find confidence with donated wigs

Emma Patti Harris 0 Comment World Chemotherapy, health, Marcelo Avatte, wigs

Wigs, handmade by Italian-Chilean hair stylist Marcelo Avatte and his team, have helped children who have lost their hair during cancer treatments regain their self-esteem and confidence. Renowned for making customized wigs, Avatte has donated more than 300 wigs since 2009 and says he was motivated to begin the project by the pain he felt when his own son lost his hair during chemotherapy. (Photos by Rodrigo Garrido/Reuters)

: Alexandra Munoz, 5, who lost her hair due to chemotherapy to treat a malignant brain tumor, climbs stairs in the cancer ward of the Luis Calvo Mackenna Hospital in Santiago October 20, 2014. The wigs, handmade by Italian-Chilean hair stylist Marcelo Avatte and his team, have helped the children regain their self-esteem and confidence during cancer treatment. Renowned for making customized wigs, Avatte has donated more than 300 wigs since 2009 and says he was motivated to begin the project by the pain he felt when his own son lost his hair during chemotherapy. (Rodrigo Garrido/Reuters)

: Alexandra Munoz, 5, who lost her hair due to chemotherapy to treat a malignant brain tumor, undergoes a session of treatment with the help of a nurse in the cancer ward of the Luis Calvo Mackenna Hospital in Santiago, October 20, 2014.The wigs, handmade by Italian-Chilean hair stylist Marcelo Avatte and his team, have helped the children regain their self-esteem and confidence during cancer treatment. Renowned for making customized wigs, Avatte has donated more than 300 wigs since 2009 and says he was motivated to begin the project by the pain he felt when his own son lost his hair during chemotherapy. (Rodrigo Garrido/Reuters)

: Oncologist Katherine Kopp (C) speaks with her patients Alexandra Munoz (L), 5, and Isidora Serrano, 14, who lost their hair due to chemotherapy to treat their cancers, in the cancer ward of the Luis Calvo Mackenna Hospital in Santiago, October 20, 2014. The wigs, handmade by Italian-Chilean hair stylist Marcelo Avatte and his team, have helped the children regain their self-esteem and confidence during cancer treatment. Renowned for making customized wigs, Avatte has donated more than 300 wigs since 2009 and says he was motivated to begin the project by the pain he felt when his own son lost his hair during chemotherapy. (Rodrigo Garrido/Reuters)

: Isidora Serrano, 14, who lost her hair due to chemotherapy to treat her bone cancer, reacts upon hearing from her doctor the positive results of a blood test during her daily treatment in the cancer ward of the Luis Calvo Mackenna Hospital in Santiago, October 20, 2014. The wigs, handmade by Italian-Chilean hair stylist Marcelo Avatte and his team, have helped the children regain their self-esteem and confidence during cancer treatment. Renowned for making customized wigs, Avatte has donated more than 300 wigs since 2009 and says he was motivated to begin the project by the pain he felt when his own son lost his hair during chemotherapy. (Rodrigo Garrido/Reuters)

: Alexandra Munoz, 5, who lost her hair due to chemotherapy for a brain tumor, poses in the cancer ward of the Luis Calvo Mackenna Hospital in Santiago, October 30, 2014. The wigs, handmade by Italian-Chilean hair stylist Marcelo Avatte and his team, have helped the children regain their self-esteem and confidence during cancer treatment. Renowned for making customized wigs, Avatte has donated more than 300 wigs since 2009 and says he was motivated to begin the project by the pain he felt when his own son lost his hair during chemotherapy. (Rodrigo Garrido/Reuters)

: Alexandra Munoz, 5, who lost her hair due to chemotherapy for a brain tumor, poses with the natural hair wig she received as donation from hair stylist Marcelo Avatte in the cancer ward of the Luis Calvo Mackenna Hospital in Santiago, October 30, 2014. The wigs, handmade by Italian-Chilean hair stylist Marcelo Avatte and his team, have helped the children regain their self-esteem and confidence during cancer treatment. Renowned for making customized wigs, Avatte has donated more than 300 wigs since 2009 and says he was motivated to begin the project by the pain he felt when his own son lost his hair during chemotherapy. (Rodrigo Garrido/Reuters)

: Natural hair wigs made by stylist Marcelo Avatte using donated hair, sit on mannequins waiting to be delivered to girls undergoing chemotherapy for cancer, at Avatte’s salon in Vina del Mar, August 8, 2014. The wigs, handmade by Italian-Chilean hair stylist Marcelo Avatte and his team, have helped the children regain their self-esteem and confidence during cancer treatment. Renowned for making customized wigs, Avatte has donated more than 300 wigs since 2009 and says he was motivated to begin the project by the pain he felt when his own son lost his hair during chemotherapy. (Rodrigo Garrido/Reuters)

: Hair stylist Marcelo Avatte cuts the hair of Pamela Matus who is donating it to make a natural hair wig for a girl undergoing chemotherapy for cancer, in Vina del Mar, August 8, 2014. The wigs, handmade by Italian-Chilean hair stylist Marcelo Avatte and his team, have helped the children regain their self-esteem and confidence during cancer treatment. Renowned for making customized wigs, Avatte has donated more than 300 wigs since 2009 and says he was motivated to begin the project by the pain he felt when his own son lost his hair during chemotherapy. (Rodrigo Garrido/Reuters)

: Pamela Matus holds a bag of her hair that was cut by stylist Marcelo Avatte which she is donating to make a natural hair wig for a girl undergoing chemotherapy for cancer, in Vina del Mar, August 8, 2014. The wigs, handmade by Italian-Chilean hair stylist Marcelo Avatte and his team, have helped the children regain their self-esteem and confidence during cancer treatment. Renowned for making customized wigs, Avatte has donated more than 300 wigs since 2009 and says he was motivated to begin the project by the pain he felt when his own son lost his hair during chemotherapy. (Rodrigo Garrido/Reuters)

: Pamela Matus (R) holds locks of her hair as stylist Marcelo Avatte (L) writes down the characteristics, for the making of a natural hair wig for a girl undergoing chemotherapy for cancer, in Vina del Mar, August 8, 2014. The wigs, handmade by Italian-Chilean hair stylist Marcelo Avatte and his team, have helped the children regain their self-esteem and confidence during cancer treatment. Renowned for making customized wigs, Avatte has donated more than 300 wigs since 2009 and says he was motivated to begin the project by the pain he felt when his own son lost his hair during chemotherapy. (Rodrigo Garrido/Reuters)

: Marcela Reyes holds up a natural hair wig she is making to be donated to a girl undergoing chemotherapy for cancer, in Santiago, August 22, 2014. The wigs, handmade by Italian-Chilean hair stylist Marcelo Avatte and his team, have helped the children regain their self-esteem and confidence during cancer treatment. Renowned for making customized wigs, Avatte has donated more than 300 wigs since 2009 and says he was motivated to begin the project by the pain he felt when his own son lost his hair during chemotherapy. (Rodrigo Garrido/Reuters)

: Workers Edith Marfil (L), Marcela Reyes (C) and Rosa Salgado make natural hair wigs to be donated to girls undergoing chemotherapy for cancer, at the workshop owned by hair stylist Marcelo Avatte in Santiago, August 22, 2014. The wigs, handmade by Italian-Chilean hair stylist Marcelo Avatte and his team, have helped the children regain their self-esteem and confidence during cancer treatment. Renowned for making customized wigs, Avatte has donated more than 300 wigs since 2009 and says he was motivated to begin the project by the pain he felt when his own son lost his hair during chemotherapy. (Rodrigo Garrido/Reuters)

: Workers Edith Marfil (L), Marcela Reyes (C) and Rosa Salgado make natural hair wigs to be donated to girls undergoing chemotherapy for cancer, at the workshop owned by hair stylist Marcelo Avatte in Santiago, August 22, 2014. The wigs, handmade by Italian-Chilean hair stylist Marcelo Avatte and his team, have helped the children regain their self-esteem and confidence during cancer treatment. Renowned for making customized wigs, Avatte has donated more than 300 wigs since 2009 and says he was motivated to begin the project by the pain he felt when his own son lost his hair during chemotherapy. (Rodrigo Garrido/Reuters)

: Marcela Reyes makes a natural hair wig to be donated to a girl undergoing chemotherapy for cancer, in Santiago, August 22, 2014. The wigs, handmade by Italian-Chilean hair stylist Marcelo Avatte and his team, have helped the children regain their self-esteem and confidence during cancer treatment. Renowned for making customized wigs, Avatte has donated more than 300 wigs since 2009 and says he was motivated to begin the project by the pain he felt when his own son lost his hair during chemotherapy. (Rodrigo Garrido/Reuters)

: Edith Marifil makes a natural hair wig to be donated to a girl undergoing chemotherapy for cancer, in Santiago, August 22, 2014. The wigs, handmade by Italian-Chilean hair stylist Marcelo Avatte and his team, have helped the children regain their self-esteem and confidence during cancer treatment. Renowned for making customized wigs, Avatte has donated more than 300 wigs since 2009 and says he was motivated to begin the project by the pain he felt when his own son lost his hair during chemotherapy. (Rodrigo Garrido/Reuters)

: Workers Edith Marfil (L) and Marcela Reyes (C) make natural hair wigs to be donated to girls undergoing chemotherapy for cancer, at the workshop owned by hair stylist Marcelo Avatte in Santiago, August 22, 2014. The wigs, handmade by Italian-Chilean hair stylist Marcelo Avatte and his team, have helped the children regain their self-esteem and confidence during cancer treatment. Renowned for making customized wigs, Avatte has donated more than 300 wigs since 2009 and says he was motivated to begin the project by the pain he felt when his own son lost his hair during chemotherapy. (Rodrigo Garrido/Reuters)

: Hair stylist Marcelo Avatte (L) prepares to fit a natural hair wig on Isidora Serrano (R), 14, who lost her hair due to chemotherapy to treat her bone cancer, in the cancer ward of the Luis Calvo Mackenna Hospital in Santiago, October 23, 2014. The wigs, handmade by Italian-Chilean hair stylist Marcelo Avatte and his team, have helped the children regain their self-esteem and confidence during cancer treatment. Renowned for making customized wigs, Avatte has donated more than 300 wigs since 2009 and says he was motivated to begin the project by the pain he felt when his own son lost his hair during chemotherapy. (Rodrigo Garrido/Reuters)

: Hair stylist Marcelo Avatte prepares to fit Isidora Serrano, a 14-year-old who lost her hair due to chemotherapy to treat her bone cancer, with a natural hair wig in the cancer ward of the Luis Calvo Mackenna Hospital in Santiago, October 23, 2014. The wigs, handmade by Italian-Chilean hair stylist Marcelo Avatte and his team, have helped the children regain their self-esteem and confidence during cancer treatment. Renowned for making customized wigs, Avatte has donated more than 300 wigs since 2009 and says he was motivated to begin the project by the pain he felt when his own son lost his hair during chemotherapy. (Rodrigo Garrido/Reuters)

: Hair stylist Marcelo Avatte (R) prepares to fit Isidora Serrano, a 14-year-old who lost her hair due to chemotherapy to treat her bone cancer, with a natural hair wig in the cancer ward of the Luis Calvo Mackenna Hospital in Santiago, October 23, 2014. The wigs, handmade by Italian-Chilean hair stylist Marcelo Avatte and his team, have helped the children regain their self-esteem and confidence during cancer treatment. Renowned for making customized wigs, Avatte has donated more than 300 wigs since 2009 and says he was motivated to begin the project by the pain he felt when his own son lost his hair during chemotherapy. (Rodrigo Garrido/Reuters)

: Hair stylists cut a natural hair wig as it is fitted for the first time on Isidora Serrano, a 14-year-old who lost her hair due to chemotherapy to treat her bone cancer, in the cancer ward of the Luis Calvo Mackenna Hospital in Santiago, October 23, 2014. The wigs, handmade by Italian-Chilean hair stylist Marcelo Avatte and his team, have helped the children regain their self-esteem and confidence during cancer treatment. Renowned for making customized wigs, Avatte has donated more than 300 wigs since 2009 and says he was motivated to begin the project by the pain he felt when his own son lost his hair during chemotherapy. (Rodrigo Garrido/Reuters)

: Isidora Serrano, a 14-year-old who lost her hair due to chemotherapy to treat her bone cancer, walks on the street for the first time after receiving a natural hair wig as a donation in Santiago, October 23, 2014. The wigs, handmade by Italian-Chilean hair stylist Marcelo Avatte and his team, have helped the children regain their self-esteem and confidence during cancer treatment. Renowned for making customized wigs, Avatte has donated more than 300 wigs since 2009 and says he was motivated to begin the project by the pain he felt when his own son lost his hair during chemotherapy. (Rodrigo Garrido/Reuters)

: Hair stylist Marcelo Avatte fits a natural hair wig on Alexandra Munoz, 5, who lost her hair due to chemotherapy for a brain tumor, in the cancer ward of the Luis Calvo Mackenna Hospital in Santiago, October 23, 2014. The wigs, handmade by Italian-Chilean hair stylist Marcelo Avatte and his team, have helped the children regain their self-esteem and confidence during cancer treatment. Renowned for making customized wigs, Avatte has donated more than 300 wigs since 2009 and says he was motivated to begin the project by the pain he felt when his own son lost his hair during chemotherapy. (Rodrigo Garrido/Reuters)

: Hair stylist Marcelo Avatte and his team fit a natural hair wig on Alexandra Munoz, 5, who lost her hair due to chemotherapy for a brain tumor, in the cancer ward of the Luis Calvo Mackenna Hospital in Santiago, October 23, 2014. The wigs, handmade by Italian-Chilean hair stylist Marcelo Avatte and his team, have helped the children regain their self-esteem and confidence during cancer treatment. Renowned for making customized wigs, Avatte has donated more than 300 wigs since 2009 and says he was motivated to begin the project by the pain he felt when his own son lost his hair during chemotherapy. (Rodrigo Garrido/Reuters)

: Alexandra Munoz, 5, who lost her hair due to chemotherapy for a brain tumor, plays with her new natural hair wig after it was fitted to her for the first time in the cancer ward of the Luis Calvo Mackenna Hospital in Santiago, October 23, 2014. The wigs, handmade by Italian-Chilean hair stylist Marcelo Avatte and his team, have helped the children regain their self-esteem and confidence during cancer treatment. Renowned for making customized wigs, Avatte has donated more than 300 wigs since 2009 and says he was motivated to begin the project by the pain he felt when his own son lost his hair during chemotherapy. (Rodrigo Garrido/Reuters)

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