13 News Now: Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital Tech Gives Haircuts to Cancer Patients

Jennifer Rizzotti, who is both a cosmetologist and patient care technician, has combined her experience at Pigtails & Crewcuts, the kid’s hair salon franchise, with her work at Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital.

During her time at the hospital, Rizzotti will offer to cut patients’ hair for free, noting that it’s often an emotional, but meaningful, experience for them.

“A lot of times, their hair has been super full and thick, and they’re losing it in abundance. Lots of tears,” she told 13 News Now. “The patients come across [as] angry, and they’re not. They just don’t know [how] to deal with... the news that they’ve gotten — that they’re not getting better, or, you know, that they’ve found out that another family member now has been diagnosed.”

Hair loss associated with cancer treatment can easily make an already challenging time that much harder, but Rizzotti said she tries to encourage patients to see the journey as a rebirth rather than yet another loss.

“We’re getting rid of the old, and we’re hopefully bringing out the new hair that’s [going to] come out,” she said.

By bringing the salon experience to the hospital, Rizzotti gives patients a chance to experience some normalcy amidst quite abnormal times. And for patients navigating the grueling cancer treatment process, even a few minutes of fun and care can make a monumental difference.

“It makes them feel for a second that they’re not sick,” Rizzotti said. “Even for 15 minutes, they forgot where they were.”

Read the full story here.