Impact

Polly’s Story

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Bon Secours - Richmond, VA

For Polly Hamel, your donation is more than a gift—it’s a miracle

Although she had been diagnosed with cancer twice before, Polly’s breast cancer treatment was different in that it included chemotherapy and radiation. For the first time, she faced the prospect of losing her hair.

“I was terrified. And it’s an odd thing to say, but it’s almost like I was more afraid of the chemo and radiation and the horror stories that you hear than I was of the cancer,” she said.

Your contributions provide patients like Polly with Cold Caps, a technology that helps prevent hair loss; hair loss is a common side effect of chemotherapy.

“I landed at Saint Mary’s Hospital because of my faith,” Polly said. “I connected to the mission statement and knew that was where I needed to be.”

 

“When I found out I could access the Cold Cap at no cost, I just started to cry.”

 

It isn’t just the Cold Caps you helped Polly with; it was a full array of services provided by the Cullather Center and Cancer Care Fund.

“From meditation to acupuncture to counselling—it all felt like a hand reaching across an abyss to help me,” said Polly.

She wants you to know how important your gift has been to herself and others.

“I believe I really am a miracle because of their support,” she said. “The center helped me line up my mind, body and spirit for the different types of healing I needed to get through this. I really can’t say enough about it.”

Thanks to you, Polly kept her spirits—and her hair—during treatment

Donations provide Cold Caps at no cost to chemotherapy patients, helping people like Polly keep their hair while taking cancer treatments. Listen to Polly talk about her experience in her own words.