‘I went through chemotherapy, but losing my hair hurt the most’

For as far back as she can remember, Israel-born Natali Weisz Golan took pride in her long blonde hair. It gave her confidence and was central to the way she looked.

But when the 38-year-old mother-of-two was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2022, she remembers the feeling that came with losing her hair during treatment.

She was told she should be grateful to be alive, but for Natali, who had surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, “losing my hair hurt the most”.

“I know I was lucky to be alive and should have been grateful, but my hair was where I got my confidence,” she says. “I had always had great quality, long, beautiful, blonde hair. I loved it. Losing it was horrible. I didn’t want my girls to see me without it.”

Natali Weisz and her daughter before Natali lost her hair during cancer treatment[Missing Credit]

She recalls: “One day I was in Brent Cross. There were two friends that I hadn’t seen in a long time; they didn’t recognise me. That was a really difficult moment for me because I realised how different I looked since starting the treatment. I decided I needed to find a way to feel better.”

Despite initially considering moving back to Israel to be around family, Natali found another support system at Chai Cancer Care, where she attended counselling sessions, art therapy, jewellery-making classes and had acupuncture to manage the side-effects of treatment. She also joined one of Chai’s styling workshops, where she met make-up artists, stylists and manicurists, all of whom help clients feel empowered after a diagnosis.

“When I went to the Chai styling workshop, I was just so excited,” says Natali. “I walked into a room full of women that felt like family. There were colours, scarves; there was make-up that I could use to make my eyes stand-out – even though I didn’t have eyelashes. It just made me feel amazing.”

Natali Weisz at Chai Cancer Care's styling session (Photo: Alex Taibel)[Missing Credit]

Natali, who is now in remission, adds: “Being in the styling workshop made me feel like a woman again. It was about making the most of the new reality, and about looking at the positives. I had new breasts at that point and a new body to work with, so why not celebrate it? Why not wear great clothes, and colours and feel good and have the confidence to go out?”

For children’s author Ruth Gomm, 70, being diagnosed with breast cancer was “a very dark time”.

“I would go the hospital three times a week for chemotherapy and blood tests; it all made me feel quite exhausted,” she recalls.

To protect her weakened immune system, she stopped going out. She avoided large gatherings and did not like looking back at photos of herself.

“Cancer takes all your femininity away,” says Ruth. “I lost my hair, my eyebrows, my eyelashes. My skin colour even changed. I hated myself. I didn’t want to look in the mirror. I looked back at photos of me, even at a dinner for my grandson’s barmitzvah, and it just didn’t look like me.”

Later, she attended a styling workshop at Chai’s flagship centre in Hendon. She recalls: “There was a rail of beautiful clothes and women who taught you how to wear the right lipstick or tie a scarf around your head.

Suzanne Bernie styling Ruth Gomm at a session run by Chai Cancer Care (Photo: Alex Taibel)[Missing Credit]

“They made us feel beautiful again. I didn’t stop smiling. After that, I started wearing bright colours again. It was wonderful.”

The grandmother, a member of Stanmore & Canons Park Synagogue, is now in remission since her 2021 diagnosis.

For stylist Suzanne Bernie, who supports clients at Chai with fellow fashion expert Emma Letzer, the styling workshops offer people a chance to “leave cancer at the door”.

Natali Weisz during cancer treatment (Photo: Natali Weisz)[Missing Credit]

Suzanne, who has worked in the fashion industry for 30 years, styling celebrities including Paul McCartney, Rod Stewart and Elizabeth Hurley, says: “A lot of women come into the workshops wearing their comfort clothes, often black leggings and dark tops, shrouding themselves. We introduce colours, different shapes, fabrics, prints and textures.”

Suzanne, whose parents were diagnosed with prostate and breast cancer, makes a point of speaking to Chai clients ahead of shopping for a styling session to make sure she avoids uncomfortable fabrics, has accessible garments and understands the needs of a client who might have “a stoma bag or sore limbs”.

Stylists Emma Letzer (left) and Suzanne Bernie getting clothes for their clients in Brent Cross[Missing Credit]

“I honestly leave every single session with goosebumps,” says Suzanne. “Never underestimate the power of good dressing. It gives so much confidence, restores control and self-belief.”

And supporting clients at Chai particularly resonates, she says. “Being in a Jewish space, we all speak the same language,” she says. “We have people who say they have a simcha coming up, and they just don’t know how to dress for their new body shape after treatment, or their new needs. We help them feel special, relevant and seen.”

Charlotte Hildebrand, Chai’s head of client services, says: “Chai is more than a service, it’s a lifeline. We provide expert care, but also a community where people feel safe, supported, and understood. Styling is just one example of how we help clients reclaim their identity and self-esteem during an incredibly vulnerable time.”

For information on Chai Cancer Care’s services, visit: chaicancercare.org