She had the right idea all along — all Rebecca Boumstein needed was a reminder.
Boumstein founded Hair for You Foundation, an organization she started as a teenager after her first battle with cancer. She let the idea go dormant for about a decade until she started working with other young cancer victims.
While attending Deerfield High School, Boumstein lost her hair in 2002 after being diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma. She went into remission in 2003 and battled a second round in 2005. Doctors now consider her cured.
During treatment, she wore a brunette, human-hair wig for months to replace what was naturally hers. During her first bout, she thought of raising money to help victims who could not afford wigs.
As a teenager, she raised about $3,500 — enough to help a few kids buy $1,000 wigs. But the idea faded after she started attending Bradley University.
Boumstein now works as a nurse, assisting young cancer patients who have motivated her to resurrect Hair for You. Now an official nonprofit, Hair for You distributes up to $350 in individual grants to help boys and girls with cancer buy wigs.
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The group hosts its first public fundraiser Aug. 7 at Tamarack Day Camp, 23970 N. Elm Road, Lincolnshire, where Boumstein used to be a counselor. The daylong event will include swimming, inflatable moonwalks, live music, raffles and other activities.
Q: Many people have worn a wig for a Halloween costume or school play. What is it like to wear one for hours daily and then have a bald head at home?
A: Let me think of how to describe it. For people who knew me before I lost my hair, that was the one telltale sign. There was something about it that you could tell that it was not mine. Something was off, and I just didn’t look completely like myself. And it’s hotter than hair. My first wig had bangs. It was a very different style than what I wore. My hair is naturally curly, but I straightened it. My first wig was naturally straight. I took it off as soon as I came home. But it was there, so I didn’t completely stand out with this big bald head.
Q: You were a counselor at Tamarack. What do you think coming back there as an event organizer will be like?
A: It’s nerve-racking, but mostly it’s exciting to be able to give back to a spot where I once was. I know how hard it is to be in that spot.
Q: You’re bringing back to life a project you started when you were in high school. What’s it like to go back to that spot?
A: It just fell on the back burner of life. The money was there and just sat there for a while. Now that I’m working in nursing, I see the direct effect. Not that I needed something else to do, but I thought of what I could do to help. I thought of this and I thought, “Here’s the perfect way.”
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Twitter @RonnieAtPioneer