Social employee PA Zeenath sees her work as a calling, one thing she has to do. It’s a calling that she has answered, with empathy and compassion, maybe born out of her unfulfilled dream of turning into a nurse. For the previous 20-odd years she has been doing her bit as a caregiver for HIV sufferers, these struggling from most cancers and anyone else who may want her service. 

Zeenath is part of the Snehatheeram Charitable Belief, Aluva, a help and care centre for these residing with HIV AIDS; it additionally gives institutionalised home-based take care of the terminally sick. Nonetheless, quite than confining herself to service through Snehatheeram, she does her bit independently as effectively. She is wanted for her residence visits to gather hair from donors for wigs for most cancers survivors. 

It began as a part of her volunteering with most cancers sufferers on the Ernakulam Normal Hospital (GH) round eight years in the past. “Getting the illness is traumatic sufficient, however dropping hair is the worst. It hits ladies actually laborious, some ladies would discuss how their grandchildren can be frightened of them. They might consistently have a look at the mirror to see how they regarded. I used to be not capable of get that out of my thoughts.” 

That’s when she heard of a hair donation drive (Keshadanam) by the Amala Institute of Medical Sciences, Thrissur, and the Hair Financial institution. She additionally learnt that the Hair Financial institution offered free wigs for the underprivileged. A wig, she realised, would go a good distance in constructing confidence and making most cancers sufferers and survivors be ok with themselves.   

Studying how you can make wigs

Zeenath, 41, bought in contact with the authorities to be taught extra about how you can get the wigs. That’s when she learnt about keshadanam (hair donation) and made it one in every of her missions. Not solely does she organise hair donation camps but additionally creates consciousness about it throughout home visits, faculties, schools and even at features in non secular locations. “At a church operate at Vyttila, 100-odd folks donated their hair. My hand damage a lot that day!” says a cheerful Zeenath. 

She will get calls each couple of days from individuals who need to donate hair. A lot as she wish to reply instantly, “my schedule makes it troublesome. Additionally I take the hair as soon as each three months, once they name for donations on the Hair Financial institution. So it is smart to go nearer to that date.” She gives her companies freed from cost.

Of the 4,500-odd folks she has collected these ‘donations’ from, she says, most are males. One particular person she harvested hair from had grown it for 5 years with the intention to donate it. 

Zeenath informs me that there are extra individuals who donate their hair than we might know. “Lately just a few ladies cops bought in contact with me to reap their hair, then there are NRIs who donate hair whereas on trip. Then there are kids of most cancers survivors. Folks really feel very proud after they donate hair, it is best to see their happiness!” She will get hair donors at Snehatheeram, some include reduce hair to donate, whereas for others she harvests.  “I get calls from throughout Kerala, with queries about hair donation.”

Hair donation specs

The hair, she says, must be not less than 30 centimetres or 12 inches lengthy, shampooed and dry; hair shouldn’t be colored both. After she harvests the hair, she provides the donors a correct haircut in order that their hair doesn’t look messy. “A beautician’s course I took turns out to be useful. I give them (donors) a reduce that evens out the hair and doesn’t seem like a haphazard job. Some folks hand over hair they’ve reduce themselves — both moist or unwashed. That’s when it will get messy. I, then, have to scrub and dry the hair, which generally smells.”

Hanging hair to dry, on a clothesline at residence, startles her sons. “They consistently inform me that each one that hair hanging seems to be ghoulish!” Zeenath says laughing. She lives in Aluva along with her two sons and their households. 

Though she has by no means weighed the amount of hair she has taken to the Hair Financial institution, she says, “Each three months I’ve hair harvested from not less than 110-120-odd folks.” She will get the wigs free from Amala Hospital. Zeenath is attempting to be taught wig-making in order that it will make it simpler to get wigs for most cancers survivors with out a lot of a wait. 

“Being shorn of hair could be particularly robust for some folks. The wait will get to a few of them, so I feel if I be taught to make them then they won’t have to attend too lengthy.” The wigs she will get are for girls for “males can handle with a cap or a shawl in contrast to ladies.”

For the sake of confidence

Are there specs on the sort of wig? “The most cancers survivors specify the sort of wig they need. Some ladies need their ‘hair’ to be such as you see within the films or on tv — lengthy, straight silky sort of hair. A few of them joke that though their pure hair could not have been all that, they’ll not less than hope for a wig that’s fairly,” says Zeenath, laughing.

Zeenath does extra: she drives an ambulance, arranges blood donations, sponsorships to conduct marriages of ladies from underprivileged backgrounds, conducts cleaning soap and chocolate making lessons aside from volunteering. When requested what drives her, she says, “I’ve been volunteering since I used to be 18. My childhood was robust, I’ve confronted a number of hardships and challenges. For that cause, I feel, I empathise extra with people who find themselves struggling and I need to do my bit attempting to ease that.”

These interested by donating hair can contact Zeenath at 9497226433

Printed – August 22, 2025 10:06 pm IST