A teenager who lost her hair after undergoing cancer treatment decided to set up a headscarf business because she was ‘bored of doing nothing.
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Sophia Rossi, 20, had a lump on her chest that she mistook for a lacrosse injury. But in January of this year, she found out the truth when she was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Watch her inspiring story below.
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Video credit: Rumble
After six months of chemotherapy and proton therapy in Florida, she has been officially in remission for four weeks. However, she lost all her hair in the process.
Being a business student, Sophia decided to make use of her business and sewing skills to create fashionable head scarfs marketed to women with cancer.
Sophia, from Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire said: “When I was diagnosed with cancer, I feared to lose my hair and I felt that there weren’t many fashionable alternatives to wigs out there.
“Therefore, with help from my extremely talented mother Josephine, 63, and sister Hannah Woodford, 42, we designed the first headscarf that is easy to put on, comfortable and fashionable.
“I set up my business, A Bald Move, two months after my diagnosis and before I had lost all my hair, so it made the blow less bad.
“The scarfs made me feel bald but stylish, some people didn’t even realize I had no hair and thought I was just wearing a trendy scarf.
“It made me feel so much better and more confident, so I decided to dig out my sewing machine and make more for other people.
“My mum and sister have lots of materials to choose from so I didn’t even have to leave the comfort of my home.
“I have received amazing feedback from girls who said the scarfs make them feel better in social situations and more confident.”
Sophia’s headscarf business is called ‘Bald Move Headscarves’ which launched in March this year and can be found on Instagram.
A portion of each scarf sale is donated to Trekstock, a charity helping men and women in their 20’s and 30’s who are battling cancer.
She adds: “It is important for me to give something back to a charity that helped me so much through my battle.
“When I was first diagnosed, it was a shock as I had bumped into someone the week before playing lacrosse and assumed the lump and pain in my chest were from that.
“I was oblivious to my other symptoms like itchy skin, I just assumed my legs were itchy as normal and I thought I was so tired from working in a nightclub and studying.
“It was hard for me to process that I had cancer and spent many nights crying myself to sleep but I felt better knowing it wasn’t terminal and could be treated.
“I have learned and grown a lot since my diagnosis and tried to stay as positive as I can.
“I found regular exercise helped a lot with my mental health and it has also been scientifically proven that it helps with chemotherapy.
“I would advise anyone who is battling cancer to have a strong support network and to have a good sense of humor.
“You’re bald, what else can you do about it but laugh?
“At least women can find some comfort and confidence in my scarves which I sell for £25($28) each.”
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