As much as 8% of most cancers sufferers refuse chemotherapy as a result of they don’t need to lose their hair. In fact, hair loss could cause immense injury to an individual’s shallowness — however it might probably additionally strip sufferers of their privateness, making their sickness instantly seen to others.
“It’s not about magnificence. It’s about privateness. Take into consideration the instances that you just’ve walked into the grocery retailer or been in an airport and seen any individual who clearly is bald and clearly doesn’t have their eyebrows. You’re like, ‘Oh, that particular person’s going via most cancers. I really feel actually unhealthy for them,’” stated Kate Dilligan.
Dilligan, a breast most cancers survivor, is on a mission to assist chemotherapy sufferers from shedding their hair. Impressed by her personal chemotherapy journey, she based a medical system firm named Cooler Heads that sells a transportable and self-administered scalp cooling system.
Scalp cooling — which includes medically induced hypothermia on the scalp earlier than, throughout and after chemotherapy — may help sufferers retain their hair. However most cancers sufferers don’t all the time have entry to this, Dilligan famous.
When Dilligan was present process chemotherapy in 2016 and 2017, she stated the one out there technique for her to maintain her hair had been frozen gel caps.
“These gel caps are actually frozen in dry ice and positioned on and off your head each 25 minutes. The day earlier than my third chemotherapy infusion, the one that was doing that for me — as a result of there’s no approach you’re going to have the ability to do it by yourself as you’re getting chemo — stop,” she stated.
After the corporate that provided this assistant knowledgeable her of the information, Dilligan then insisted a substitute be discovered instantly. She provided to double the pay — from $500 to $1,000 — in addition to cowl all resort prices to make sure somebody confirmed up.
This expertise left her feeling powerless, and it highlighted the deep lack of affected person management in most cancers therapy. It’s the entire “why” behind San Diego-based Cooler Heads, which Dilligan based in 2018.
Cooler Heads’ system has two major elements. One is a transportable cooling unit, and the opposite is a capping system designed to induce hypothermia in hair follicles.
The cooling unit is light-weight at 23 kilos. It is usually compact sufficient to suit beneath an airplane seat and may run on wall energy or battery energy, permitting sufferers to maneuver round freely throughout therapy, Dilligan defined.
The capping system has a number of layers to make sure correct cooling and match. It has a cooling wrap, which circulates coolant from the machine to sit back the scalp, in addition to a neoprene compression strap, which ensures even contact between the cooling wrap and the scalp. The system additionally includes a compression cap with air chambers – sufferers modify the match utilizing an air bulb, just like a blood strain cuff, to realize uniform cooling, Dilligan said.
The FDA cleared the system in 2021, and suppliers began adopting it in 2022. Dilligan stated sufferers in 23 states are at the moment utilizing the answer.
Cooler Heads sells its product to well being methods. The answer helps handle the problem of chair time administration, which Dilligan stated has been a serious barrier to suppliers’ scalp cooling adoption.
Since chemotherapy classes are a key income driver for well being methods, infusion chair turnover is an important metric. Two-thirds of Cooler Heads’ clients had by no means provided scalp cooling earlier than, largely as a result of conventional methods required sufferers to stay within the infusion chair for prolonged intervals.
“We enable the sufferers, after they’re completed with chemo, to get out of their infusion chair and go someplace else — go to the ready room or another location designated by their infusion middle. As a result of should you’re the director of most cancers at a well being system, chair time is among the most vital metrics that you’ve got,” Dilligan defined.
The portability of Cooler Head’s system helps it stand out from rivals, she famous. In her view, the corporate is going through two fundamental rivals within the scalp cooling house, each of that are traded on the Sweden’s inventory alternate.
The primary is Paxman. Its system serves two sufferers at a time, but it surely requires sufferers to stay within the infusion chair after chemotherapy, Dilligan identified. She additionally famous that Paxman’s product makes use of a silicone cap — which she stated can grow to be inflexible when cooled, making it tough to keep up correct contact with the scalp.
Cooler Heads’ different competitor is Dignitana. Dilligan stated its machine is even bigger than Paxman’s, requiring 220-volt energy, which can’t be present in a regular outlet. Dignitana’s system additionally wants vital nursing intervention to make sure correct match, and like Paxman, it retains sufferers of their chairs post-chemotherapy for continued cooling, she remarked.
Total, she believes the mission of her firm is to empower most cancers sufferers and hopefully create a actuality the place extra folks go for life-saving therapy.
Dilligan identified that most cancers sufferers’ want for privateness isn’t nearly avoiding pity from strangers — it’s additionally usually about defending the lives and futures they labored onerous to construct.
“Impulsively, you recognize you’re not going to get that promotion, you’re not going to get that management function. There’s all this stuff that simply get taken from you since you’re a most cancers affected person. They are going to simply put you within the nook and have you ever sit with a blanket over you,” she stated.
Cooler Heads is ready to announce a Collection A fundraising spherical within the subsequent month or two, Dilligan famous.
Picture: FatCamera, Getty Pictures
