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A brave breast cancer survivor has used her chemotherapy experience to create a product helping patients at the Clatterbridge Cancer Centre keep their hair when in treatment.
Amy Burke, 36, from Kirkby, has launched her Cold Cap Comforter with support from the Trust's Innovation Team. The accessory is worn by people receiving cold cap therapy, which can help reduce or prevent hair loss during chemotherapy by chilling the scalp, as reported by Birkenhead News.
Amy was diagnosed with aggressive HER2 breast cancer in 2023 and underwent surgery, 29 rounds of chemotherapy and 15 sessions of radiotherapy. She is now in remission.
Amy felt a lump in her breast, which she ignored at first while busy working as a beautician and a single mum. A client she had who was a nurse, urged her to get it checked. One month later, she was having chemotherapy.
"Keeping my hair was incredibly important to me," said Amy. "I wasn't brave enough to shave it off, and keeping it made me feel better and look better, especially to my children who were very young at the time. They saw me and didn't think I was sick."Amy has a daughter and a son.
The idea came directly from her experience of scalp cooling. "I experienced discomfort and found the cold difficult while wearing the cap. So, I'd cut up different bits of fabric to put underneath it to make it more comfortable – or even use an old sock. I soon realised I could create something that would fit properly around the cap."
Amy got to work refining the cap design for comfort, practicality, durability and washability. She tried 20 prototypes before she found the winning formula. The comforter is now being given to patients at Clatterbridge as a trial, and Clatterbridge Cancer Charity has funded 50 units.
Sinéad Maguire, a mum of four from Ainsdale, has been using the Cold Cap Comforter during her chemotherapy for breast cancer. said: "My pink comforter was lovely and really soft. It makes the experience much more manageable – it is amazing."
Sinéad added: "This is such a fantastic thing that Amy has done. She is an inspiration. She has taken her experience and turned it into something that will help so many others."
Claire Bennett, CCC's Matron for Daycare Network Services, met Amy during her treatment and contacted the Trust's Innovation Team. "For many patients, keeping their hair is very important – it is part of their identity. Anything that helps people feel more comfortable during cold cap therapy is incredibly valuable."
Clatterbridge Innovation Manager Simon Bunting said the comforter is being evaluated and, subject to continued positive feedback, they hope to support wider use both within the Trust and potentially across other cancer centres.
Amy has closed the business she ran since she was 18 to focus on developing the comforter and other products to support chemotherapy patients.
"I feel I have found a purpose," she said. "The Cold Cap Comforter is a warm hug when you are going through something incredibly hard – and giving that to people in the position I was in is really fulfilling."
