Free wigs, pampering and more for breast cancer survivors at upcoming event

DAYTON, Ohio ( WDTN ) — October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month , and local organizations are celebrating the lives of survivors in the Miami Valley.

One woman is focusing on hair loss; something that impacts many people battling breast cancer. She's offering free wigs and a day of pampering for survivors through the Free Wig Campaign.

Mercedes Brown launched the campaign after seeing what some of her customers were going through. Now, she's helping them get their confidence back one wig at a time.

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"That inspired me to do something to just support and help women who were losing their hair due to cancer treatments," said Brown.

Brown says through thousands of dollars of donations from community partners, they're able to provide dozens of women with a free wig, lunch and gifts.

One of those women will be Tiffany Fisher. The mother to five was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer in 2022. Fisher says she's fought a hard battle, enduring months of chemotherapy, radiation, and dozens of other immunotherapy treatments.

But she says losing her hair in her fight against breast cancer was a difficult challenge. Through the Free Wig Campaign, she will be able to connect with other survivors with similar stories.

"This is going to be a beautiful thing to be able to share the moments with everybody, to relate to the stories of what they have to say and to know you're not alone," said Fisher.

Now, Fisher hopes to inspire others to get their mammograms done and watch out for the early signs of breast cancer. However, she says her message of hope for others fighting the disease is most important.

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"And if I can beat it, anybody can beat it. So don't give up," said Fisher.

Now in its second year, the Free Wig Campaign is hoping to have a lasting impact. Community partners say they were happy to support local women experiencing hair loss.

"We like to show love for us, lovely customers shopping with us," said Mamadu Thiam, Superior Hair Depot.

"So we want to let them know that someone cares about them,' said Yelin Kim, CM Chicken.

To register to participate, visit Mercedes Brown's website .