Local Nurse Turns Her Diagnosis into a Donation
By Porsha Ari
What should you call a woman who devotes her time to helping others diagnosed with the same autoimmune disorder as herself? You can call her selfless; or you can call her Bianca Saleh.
Bianca Saleh, a nurse at Neighborhood Health Center, was diagnosed with scarring alopecia as a teenager, after noticing her hair was thinning and falling out. For years, Bianca hid her hair loss while struggling with self-esteem, confidence, and feelings of shame. Despite her artistic talent in using cosmetics, improving her hair was a challenge.
“I tried everything to cover the bald spots,” says Bianca. “I tried braids and even contemplated shaving my head. I was devastated. As a young mom trying to finish my senior year of high school and start college, the last thing I wanted to explain was my hair loss.”
Bianca felt alone in struggling to find a hair prosthesis or wig that fit her style and matched her West Indian hair texture. Seeing an opportunity to turn her passion for beauty and cosmetics into a business, she opened Don Bella, a beauty supply store on Buffalo’s east side. One day, a woman visited her store who was also suffering with hair loss. Remembering her own experience, Bianca arranged to obtain a hair prosthesis for the woman at no charge. Grateful and overwhelmed with emotion upon seeing how she looked in her new wig, Bianca made a decision. She would create a charity that would help disadvantaged women and children suffering with medical-related hair loss. Bianca turned Don Bella into an online beauty supply boutique and established The Saleh Hair Foundation (SHF).
The Saleh Hair Foundation assists women and children suffering from hair loss due to medical conditions like cancer, alopecia, or burn injuries. Noting that the cost of a single hair prosthesis can range from $1,000- $3,000, Bianca says, “SHF is raising money to aid financially disadvantaged individuals in Western New York and helping to restore their confidence and self-esteem by funding, producing, and distributing custom wigs of various styles and textures.
More than six million people in the U.S. live with alopecia areata, and an estimated 1.8 million people in the U.S. and 110,000 New Yorkers will be diagnosed with cancer this year. Bianca says, “The emotional trauma that comes with cancer, burns, or alopecia is exacerbated during this pandemic when the cost of a hair prosthesis is out of reach for so many. Our goal is to help make a difference by starting in our own backyard.”
“I have grown so much since my diagnosis,” says Bianca. “I now know that I am not alone.” A nurse, wife, and mother to three children, she recently launched the SHF 50/50 Challenge to raise $50,000 in 50 weeks to fund, produce, and distribute custom wigs for those in need. She is hopeful that the challenge, which ends May 30, 2021, will receive the necessary support to achieve this goal. For more information or to donate to SHF 50/50 Challenge, visit www.Salehhairfoundation.org.
Porsha Ari is a senior publicist in Buffalo.
