YORK Hospital has been given a boost with a £76,462 donation to buy new cooling caps for cancer patients.

Patients receiving certain chemotherapy drugs, which cause hair loss, can reduce their chance of losing their hair when using the new scalp coolers which sit on the head like a cap.

The caps are funded by the Walk the Walk breast cancer charity.

Oncology Nurse Tracy Whitehead-Moore said, “This means a lot to both men and women.

“Alopecia, especially in women, is an outward sign of cancer and a constant reminder of their illness, so by being able to provide this treatment, we hope to make the experience for our patients more bearable. We are very grateful to Walk the Walk for their generous donation.”

The new scalp cooling caps are preferred by the patients as they fit better than older ones and are more tolerable.

The cap is placed onto a patient’s head and dramatically cools the hair follicles which can prevent the strand of hair falling out.