The American Cancer Society is well known for their donation of wigs to cancer patients. Cancer patients go to pick out their free wigs in preparation for chemotherapy, as most people are aware that a side effect of treatment is losing one’s hair. To women, their hair is the biggest aspect of their self-image. When a woman loses her hair she not only loses her confidence, but also her sense of identity.
That’s where Bethany Heinrich comes in. After dealing with her mom’s diagnosis of lymphoma in June 2013, and a trip to the American Cancer Society to help her mom pick out a free wig, Heinrich gained a new appreciation for the hair and cosmetics industries.
“I saw they were donating products to patients to help improve their self-image as they battled the disease. I grew very curious as to whether the fashion industry was doing the same, since there was a clear need given the weight fluctuations that can come with treatment,” said Heinrich.
After researching to see if there was an organization like the American Cancer Society in the fashion industry, and not finding anything, Heinrich made the decision to create the organization Fabulous & Fighting. The mission statement for the organization reads, “Fabulous & Fighting’s mission is to collaborate with the fashion industry to provide donated clothing and appropriate accessories to cancer patients, thereby empowering them with the beauty and self-confidence to maintain a positive outlook during treatment as well as alleviating some of the financial burden associated with cancer.”
The organization is relatively new but has already held one clothing distribution event. Heinrich’s team consists of her two co-founders, Erick Herrscher and Susan Goodwillie, a legal team, and a small advisory board. Fabulous & Fighting currently has six sponsors, but are always looking for more. The current sponsors are Dolce Vita, Candela, Blank Rome LLP, The Hedaya Capital Group, Grassroots Films, and MOGUL.
When asked about only providing their services to women in the New York City area, Heinrich seemed positive that she would like to expand her horizons with men and children’s clothing, but not quite yet.
“For now we’d like to focus on serving women, and then expand to men and children in an effort to not bite off more than we can chew in this first year. My team and I want to be very careful every step of the way, and want to slowly grow over time. That’s our reasoning for focusing on serving [New York] patients first, and then gradually expanding to other areas once we have all logistics worked out in these first years,” said Heinrich.
As for expanding location-wise, Heinrich thought it would be best to have an online platform, where patients could log onto the organization’s website, select items, and have the items shipped directly to them.
“Our hope with the organization is that through the gift of a new outfit that makes the patient feel beautiful, they will be empowered with the confidence to maintain a positive outlook during treatment. It’s really about helping to lift people’s spirits who are going through one of the most trying times in their life,” said Heinrich.
Fabulous & Fighting gives attention to a need in both the healthcare and fashion industries. This organization is changing the way cancer patients cope with their illness, while allowing two otherwise different industries to come together and do something inspirational for the community.
“We are currently speaking with a few [other sponsors] that we hope to announce in the near future as well. We are seeking comfortable yet stylish clothing, so it could be anything ranging from a beautiful silk blouse to a nicely made t-shirt and jeans. How it works is that twice a year we will go into hospitals and set up temporary pop-up stores staffed by our volunteers who will help patients to choose items that make them look and feel stunning,” said Heinrich.
The second clothing distribution is due to take place this winter at a New York City based hospital, such as Beth Israel. Check out Fabulous & Fighting’s website, www.fabulousandfighting.org, to learn more about the organization.