The truth behind the claim that '703 donated hair samples were received, but only 50 were given to cancer patients'

Mr. Nguyen Ba Tinh - Deputy Director of the Bright Future Foundation - presents wigs to cancer patients at Bac Ninh Provincial General Hospital - Photo: Bright Future Foundation

Information circulating on social media alleges that a hair salon known for receiving donated hair for cancer patients allegedly "embezzled" donated hair, receiving over 700 sets of hair but only donating 50 sets to cancer patients at Bac Ninh Provincial General Hospital.

The hospital provides information on receiving and distributing donated hair to cancer patients.

On the afternoon of June 13th, speaking with Tuoi Tre Online , Mr. Nguyen Ba Tinh - deputy director of the Bright Tomorrow Fund, the unit directly implementing the "Hair for Cancer Patients" program - stated that the information circulating on social media is inaccurate.

"The 'Hair for Cancer Patients' program, held at Bac Ninh Provincial General Hospital, donated 50 wigs to cancer patients. These wigs were donated by the Bright Tomorrow Foundation, not by the 1900 hair salon, and I was the representative of the foundation who directly presented the donation."

The program also received hair donations from 703 people in Bac Ninh and Bac Giang provinces. This hair is currently being held at two hospitals and will be sent directly to the Bright Tomorrow Fund by the hospitals.

"The information that the 1900 hair salon directly collected and took the donated hair back to sell is inaccurate," Mr. Tinh affirmed.

Mr. Tinh further informed that the hair donated by the public will be sent by the fund to a company specializing in wig production. The fund has collaborated with professional hair companies to create complete wigs, rather than sending them to salons.

Hair companies will return the finished wigs to the fund, which will then donate them to cancer patients.

These hair samples will also be returned to be donated to cancer patients in Bac Ninh and Bac Giang provinces, where the program recently held donation drives and launched campaigns to encourage public participation. This is a multi-year program, not just a one- or two-phase operation.

Many people believe that the 1900 hair salon is the entity that receives donated hair and creates wigs to give to patients. However, a representative from the Bright Tomorrow Foundation confirmed that the 1900 salon is currently an official partner of the foundation and has been involved with the foundation since the early days of the program.

1,400 strands of hair have been sent to cancer patients.

According to Mr. Tinh, the hair donation program for cancer patients has been implemented by the Bright Tomorrow Foundation since September 2022.

To date, the fund has donated 1,400 strands of hair to cancer patients at hospitals such as K Hospital, Hanoi Oncology Hospital, Bach Mai Hospital, and some cancer patients in provinces and cities such as Nghe An, Hue, Thanh Hoa, Tuyen Quang, and most recently in Bac Ninh and Bac Giang.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/thuc-hu-viec-nhan-703-bo-toc-hien-chi-tang-50-bo-cho-benh-nhan-ung-thu-20240613175536675.htm