In celebration of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the Rizal Medical Center (RMC) and the Makati Medical Center Foundation (MMCF) hosted a hair donation drive Wednesday morning, bringing together volunteers and officials to support women battling cancer.

The initiative, dubbed ISHAir Your Hair: A Hair Donation Drive, saw women donate their hair to RMC for development into wigs for patients. Emphasis Salon, represented by Operations Manager Mylene Cantos, served as the official haircutters for the event, assisting those who had their hair cut at the hospital.

Leading the ceremony was Ambassador of Israel to the Philippines Dana Kursh, who highlighted the three H’s and C’s essential for supporting women with breast cancer — Hope, Healing and Hair; and Compassion, Care and Confidence.

Kursh also put a spotlight on the ISHA Women’s Wellness Center at the Rizal Medical Center, explaining that “Isha” translates to “woman” in Hebrew.

“This is comprehensive care for women,” said Dr. Maria Rica Lumague, Medical Center Chief II of RMC. She cited that the wellness center covers obstetrics and gynecology, including maternal wellness, cancer care, benign conditions, maternity care, intensive care and high-risk pregnancies.

The ambassador observed that in Israel, every community has hospitals and clinics with dedicated centers for women.

“The care for women is different from the care for men, and we have to look at it holistically,” Kursh said.

As part of the event, cancer patients at RMC also attended a seminar on the physical changes they may experience during chemotherapy. The Department of Health and the MMCF were noted as local partners in the initiative.