chemosavvy.org

As I’ve stated in a previous blog, 98% of Chemo Savvy’s customers are wonderful, reasonable people in spite of going through one of, if not the, toughest times of their lives.  The only thing I can really say for the other 2% is that I feel sorry for them because they are apparently so miserable in their lives. 

 Today I received the email below from a dissatisfied customer, who says she is going to tell all the oncologists and cancer support groups she comes in contact with what a terrible company we are.  I suspect that if they know her, they will take it with a grain of salt.  My response to this email follows it.

From: xxxxx [mailto:xxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxx.com]
Sent: Friday, August 15, 2008 10:51 AM
To: contact@chemosavvy.com
Subject: xxxxxxxxxxxAugust 15, 2008 Chemo Savvy LLCP O Box 175Green Mountain Falls, CO   80819

Re:  Inv # nnnnn

Dear Chemo Savvy,

I am writing to let you know of the great disappointment your company has been to me.I ordered a H67 Knitted Beret from you not thinking about being in the south & the heat.  I realized as soon as I opened the box that it would be too hot & I could not use it.  I was doing Chemo at the time & just forgot to ship it back.  I called your returns department for an  RMA # and at that time I asked if I would be charged a restocking fee.  The person I spoke to assured me if I mailed it that day, which I did I would NOT be charged.  When I received my return/credit invoice I was charged the $20.00.  I have made numerous calls to speak to someone with no success.I am very disappointed in the outcome.  Had I been told I would be charged $20.00 I would have kept the hat.  And then no one calling me back really is another issue.Maybe you guys just don’t understand that when someone is going through any kind of medical crisis the last thing needed is an added worry! I guess if I don’t hear from you I will let all of the Oncologist & cancer support groups to beware of having your catalog around. 

Sincerely,

xxxxx xxxxxxxx

From: barbara.haas@chemosavvy.com [mailto:barbara.haas@chemosavvy.com]
Sent: Friday, August 15, 2008 12:19 PM
To: ‘xxxxxsxxxxxxxxxxd.com’
Cc: ‘contact@chemosavvy.com’; Renee
Subject: RE: Chemo Savvy Order Ms. Richard, You called for an RMA # on April 30, 2008.  If you had mailed the return on that day priority mail (as it was shipped to you), it would have gotten here on time – even a day or 2 late we take back with no fee, but not a week late.  Why do you think my business should suffer because you “forgot” to abide by the terms of purchasing from us.   You ordered the H67 Beret on April 3, 2008, and received it on April 5, 2008 at 7:45 am according the USPS delivery confirmation (tracking # 9114082133393050334392). You returned an H65 Ivory Scroll Juliette Day and Night cap from a previous order dated 3/13/08 which we received on April 12^th, 2008 – why didn’t you return the H67 then? We have a very liberal return policy because we do care about our customers.  

I am a 16 year cancer survivor and never felt that I was owed anything because I had cancer – oh maybe a little more love and affection from my family and friends, but that’s all.  

My sister is going through chemo and radiation as I write this, and she certainly doesn’t feel she’s entitled to different rules because she has cancer.  And the 2 previous bouts she had with cancer, she never felt she was owed any special treatment.  In fact she felt it was her responsibility to help others in her situation that maybe were not doing as well as her and was a volunteer to talk to women who were having a difficult time coping with the awfulness of cancer. 

My daughter was diagnosed with kidney cancer at the beginning of June 2008, and she never thought the world or anyone owed her anything because of it.  In fact, she has agreed to participate in a clinical trial because it is so rare for a woman, especially a young woman, to have kidney cancer, she feels it is her responsibility to other young women who might get this terrible disease which doesn’t respond to current chemo drugs or radiation to have some data for them. 

And you want to bad mouth my company because YOU are inconsiderate??????  You should be ashamed.

Being a cancer, chemotherapy and radiation survivor as well as having 2 people I love very much going thru the ordeal that is cancer makes me very aware of the physical, mental and emotional trauma that surrounds this disease. 

Barbara J. Haas

Chemo Savvy LLC CC:

A copy of your email as well as this letter and also our company’s mission statement is being sent to all oncologists, hospital chemotherapy departments and any cancer support groups in your area, prefaced with why I am sending this to them.  I will also post it on my blog. 

By the way, when this person called to complain about the restocking fee, which only occurs if an item is received back 30 days beyond the date the order was shippd, she was told again of the 30 day return policy.  No one called back because there was nothing to be done/changed, she was already told the policy. The associate that gave out the RMA # did not say she wouldn’t be charged, but that if she mailed it priority that same day, it wouldn’t be late.  Hair splitting, I know, but we do not give out false expectations.

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In 1997 Pennsylvania implemented a tax refund check off for breast cancer research.  A line was added to the state tax return that a person could check off to donate some of their refund for breast cancer research.  Since then over $2 milion has been donated through this option.  All money raised goes directly to fund breast cancer research.

This seems like a great way to raise money for this.  Unfortunately all too often if you donate money to ANY charity, you start getting phone calls from all the other charities.  This is a great way to target your charitable donations without out ending up on a lot of calling lists!

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There’s a relatively new cancer test that assesses the likelihood that breast cancer will recur and it can also provide information as to whether a patient will benefit chemotherapy.  This called the Oncotype DX Test. The studies for this began in 2004, and after evaluating patients who took this test, it was found that about half the patients would not benefit from chemotherapy.  Prior to this test, all patients would have been given chemo as a matter of course.

 This test is only effective for those patients that do not have lymph node involvement and whose cancer is hormone receptor positive.  This type of breast cancer is the most common, so this test will benefit the most people.

For more information, search the web using “Oncotype DX” for a plethora of articles.

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By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Arturo_Ronzon]Arturo Ronzon

Your personal image is important, and losing your hair can cause a major loss of your personal image. Being prepared for hair loss during Chemotherapy treatment is the best defense against this image loss.

Hair loss during Chemotherapy is caused by the medication that is used to fight cancer cells growing within your body. Unfortunately the drugs also tend to attack the cells that are in charge of growing your hair, so hair loss occurs from the lack of new hair forming. Not all chemotherapy drugs attack your hair cells, so check with your doctor concerning specific drugs that may keep you from losing your hair.

Hair loss from Chemotherapy occurs with all body hair, not just scalp hair; this may include your eyelashes and eyebrows, and all other body hair.

Hair loss usually begins to occur between 10 and 14 days following the beginning of treatment. Between 4 and 6 weeks after treatment finishes, you should begin to re-grow your hair. There may be some differences in the texture or color of your hair, such as new curl or a slight adjustment in color, but your hair will eventually return to what it used to be, it just takes a bit of time. You can expect approximately a ¼ inch of hair growth each month

There is no real cure for the hair loss that is associated with Chemotherapy. However, there are a few things that can be done to reduce damage, or to help your hair follicles in replacing the hair.

While in actual treatment, you may have Cryotherapy, which is essentially hypothermia of the scalp, and will keep your head cooled down with ice packs in order to reduce the blood flow. This procedure works with between 50 and 80 percent of cases. There is a risk that the cancer may return to your scalp with this type of treatment, however.

Another potential hair-loss treatment is called Minoxidil, and is also known as Rogaine. Minoxidil can affect hair loss by slowing the process, and increasing growth afterward. It has not been proven to prevent hair loss, but rather as a treatment to slow loss and speed recovery.

Preparing for hair loss in Chemotherapy treatment can not only improve your self-image, but also can actually help your hair in the long run. Treat you hair as if it were being treated chemically every single day. Brush gently, avoid heating devices that may burn your hair, wash gently with mild shampoos and put off getting any hair color or permanents.

You may consider cutting your hair, as short hair tends to look thicker and fuller. You may also consider purchasing some hats, in order to keep sun damage to a minimum. Hats can also be used to mask the hair loss once it has begun to show. Be patient with the re-growth of your hair and continue to treat it gently.

Hair loss occurs with radiation treatments to the scalp as well, but only the area that is actually treated. Although a completely different process, it is important again, to protect you scalp and baby your hair as much as possible.

Want to learn more about Hair Loss Remedy?, feel free to visit us at: http://www.hair-loss-land.info/Articles/Hair_Loss_Remedies.php

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Arturo_Ronzon http://EzineArticles.com/?Should-I-Expect-to-Lose-My-Hair-While-on-Chemotherapy?&id=372032

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I saw a news/talk show the other night, and they had Jon Huntsman on. What a remarkable man - in so many ways. In addition to being a very generous contributor to cancer research, he wrote a book titled “Winners Never Cheat”, and he lives by that concept.

At one time, when his business was doing poorly his advisors said he should file for bankruptcy, but he said that was not an option, some business suffers when another files for bankruptcy, and he felt that was not an option for him. So, he decided to sell off part of his business for around $54 million, found a buyer and made a verbal commitment and shook hands on it. Due to various delays, by the time the buyer’s lawyers got all the paperwork together, the business had turned around and was then valued at $175 million. The buyer said he would be willing to split the difference since his lawyers were the ones to hold the deal up, by Huntsman said absolutely not, they shook on it so it was a done deal for $54 million.

Around this time, Huntsman took out loans of between $50 and $100 million to cover his commitments to cancer research. His advisiors told him he was nuts to try to live up to his charitable commitments when things were looking so grim financially, but he said he pledged the money, and he would honor it. Period.

He donated $100 million to establish the Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) at the University of Utah. It’s main focus is research to find cures for cancer, but it is also a unique cancer care facility with an emphasis on the dignity and comfort of its patients.

HCI has a staff of world renowned research scientists whose approach to cancer research is based on genteics. They hope to find new methods to detect and treat cancer while at the same time reducing the side effects of that treatment. For more information on HCI, refer to: http://www.huntsmancancer.org/

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It was brought to my attention by a customer the other day that there is a web site with the same name, but only one “v” in Savvy.  The woman called and was somewhat frustrated that she couldn’t find an item she had seen in our catalog.  She thought maybe ‘chemo brain’ was really taking it’s toll and that was why she couldn’t figure out how to navigate the site.  When I went out to our site to see if I could see what was causing her the problem, it soon became apparent that we were not looking at the same thing.

Turns out there is a term for this and it has been around quite awhile.  It’s called cybersquatting.  People (in our instance Texas International Property Associates) buy domain names that are just a typo away from a legitimate business and create a site that makes money from pay-per-click companies for their advertising.   Exxon Mobil Corp. sued this same company in May, and they are just one among many that are taking legal action against this company.

So, if you make a typo in an internet address, you may get a site that has nothing to do with who you think it is.  The chemosavy.com web site that is in no way affiliated with us has links to various hair loss, wig, cancer, etc sites so a person may think they’ve reached the real Chemo Savvy, but in fact they have reached the site of an idenity theif. 

There is an interesting article on this: http://www.redorbit.com/news/technology/974060/squatters_cash_in_on_human_error/index.html?source=r_technology

This is in effect stealing a business’ identity.  It not only makes me angry as a business owner, but as with all types of theft, many people are effected by it even if only in a small way such as the frustrated person that brought this to my attention.

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By Tim Bock

Hair loss during chemotherapy treatments is almost an inevitable. If treatments go on long enough, the likelihood of you losing your hair is greater than the likelihood of you not losing your hair, and unfortunately that is something that just happens to be accepted.

In some instances, chemotherapy hair loss prevention is an option. For shorter treatments, there are ways to try and stimulate the growth of the hair follicles, but in most cases chemotherapy hair loss prevention is better translated into other options.

As hard as it may be on the self esteem, think of the loss of your hair due to chemotherapy treatments as a new opportunity. Many times, it is better to consider alternatives to chemotherapy hair loss prevention. Hair pieces are a great thing for chemotherapy patients, as they are a great experiment. Use that time to consider the possibilities; many times after hair grows back from chemotherapy treatments, it grows in a different color or a different texture than it was before it fell out.

That is exciting for some people, and it tends to make up part of the horrible experience of losing the hair in the first place. At that time, chemotherapy hair loss prevention is not an option anymore, and it is no longer necessary. Scarves are also a popular option in lieu of chemotherapy hair loss prevention. They come in different colors and styles, and can be made to add a flair to any outfit; this can help to boost self esteem so losing the hair turns out not to be so bad after all.

For more hair loss prevention tips, please visit: Hair Loss Solutions a website that specializes in hair loss and chemotherapy

Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tim_Bock
http://EzineArticles.com/?Chemotherapy-Hair-Loss-Prevention—Is-It-Necessary?&id=718110

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Our new Fall/Winter catalog is finished and we’ve got some great new hats like these:

And many more. Visit http://www.chemosavvy.com/ to see all our great hats, wigs, hairpieces and cancer support items.

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When we first started Chemo Savvy, our ‘tag line’ was “Headwear for Hardtimes”. Being a breast cancer and releated treatment survivor, I knew this was the hardest time I had ever been through.  After a few years we changed that tag line because it offended a couple of nurses and they refused to put out the catalogs because of it.  I never heard any complaints from actual cancer patients, but a couple of nurses thought it was cruel or something. 

I resisted changing it because I liked it, it was true and there were only 2 complaints after all.  But after awhile I thought I was being as petty as I perceived these 2 nurses to be, and while I thought it was arrogant for these nurses to deny patients the opportunity to find some headwear, I realized I was being just as arrogant in my opinion, so I changed it.

Today I talked to a woman who was definitely having a hard time.  She’s a single mom with high stage III breast cancer.  About 6 months ago she found out that her young daughter had diabetes which requires insulin injections.  So she was still coming to grips with this and she gets slammed with the breast cancer news!  Like about 98% of the women I talk to that call to order headwear, she was extremely pleasant, upbeat and had a great attitude.  She thanked me for having such great headwear, not just “old lady” stuff and she thought the prices were great.

She said this was the hardest time she had ever been through (and she had only had 1 chemo treatment, so she is just starting!) and SHE made My day!!  It really makes me feel good when I talk to someone like her, and like I said above, 98% of our customers are like that.  Unfortunately, that other 2% can make me feel so bad - this is not just a business to me, it’s a passion and I have a huge emotional stake in it.

I talked with a woman last Friday who was having a terrible reaction to a drug she was getting, and it made her scalp so itchy she couldn’t sleep and it hurt to scratch it.  She was really miserable and called to order Brian Joseph’s Formula 1 shampoo.  It was late in the afternoon and the day’s shipment had already gone out.  I told her it would be shipped Monday, and I could just hear the anguish in her voice, so I told her I could go to the post office Saturday morning and that would get it to her quicker.  She got it on Monday and called me on Tuesday to say that she had used it and gotten the first good sleep she’d had in months.  I love (most of) my customers!!!

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On Sunday october 7, 2007, my family and I participated in the Denver Race for the Cure.  It is the largest Race for the Cure in the country although St. Louis is very close.  This year there were about 62,000 participants, and it’s amazing to see that many (or as many as your field of vision can take in) people filling the streets for 5K. The weather started out chilly, but warmed up by mid-morning, and as we walked by Mile High Stadium at 9:30 in the morning, there were already people “tail gating” in anticipation of the Bronco’s 2 pm game.

There were several bands along the route so we were treated to a variety of different types of music, all very good.  There were people in costumes, a lot of pink wigs, a few helicopters above, and many people with “In Celebration of…” or “In Memory of…” signs pinned to their backs for loved ones.

There were also some protesters - or whatever they’re called - with signs saying that abortion causes breast cancer, and pink money kills.  And they were yelling their message at the walkers.  I don’t know what kind of idiots believe this stuff, but seriously low IQ’s must motivate them to stand at the side of the road where about 62,000 people who have been touched by breast cancer are passing.  There were police near them, I assume in case some Race walkers decided to show them what to do with their signs.

I have seen these “protesters” almost every year at the Race, sometimes they are ‘booed’, other times signs have been ripped from their hands.  This year, in my sight and hearing, they were just ignored, which is probably the best reaction.

The Denver Race organizers were expecting to raise around 3 million dollars for breast cancer research from this Race.

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