(MENAFN- Khaleej Times)

When 44-year-old Raquel received her diagnosis in April 2023, the words“triple-negative breast cancer”- one of the most aggressive forms of the disease- landed like a blow.“My reaction was despair,” she recalled.“I didn't know a lot about the disease. We immediately think of death, our children, our family.” She had two young boys, aged 11 and 7 at the time, and a long, gruelling road ahead: chemotherapy, immunotherapy, surgery and radiation.

Among the many fears cancer patients face, one hit her first: losing her hair.“It was the first thing I started planning,” she said.“I cut it gradually -from long hair, to chin length, and then eventually I shaved it because it was falling. After three sessions, it was already coming out a lot.” What she didn't know then was that this painful moment would spark a new calling: becoming an oncology stylist -a“chemo-therapy stylist”, as her clients lovingly call her.

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'Red Devil' chemo and an emotional turning point

Raquel described the toughest phase of her journey as the period she underwent what patients call the“Red Devil” chemotherapy.“It had very bad side effects. I was admitted to the hospital, I needed blood transfusions, and I had to be in isolation,” she said.“That was the hardest part.”

To cope, she leaned on an unexpectedly strong support system in Abu Dhabi.“My friends here were like family. People I didn't expect came to me and stayed with me during my treatments,” she said. She also joined a support group, sought therapy, did Reiki and breathing exercises, and pushed herself to go to the gym throughout treatment. She chose not to read extensively online about her cancer.“I asked my doctor or friends who would only tell me the positive parts - if there were any,” she said.“I tried to keep myself as positive as I could.”

How a headscarf tutorial turned into a movement

When she began losing her hair, Raquel started experimenting with headwraps.“I was trying to find ways of being able to be out of the house and feel good,” she said.“I didn't want to feel like people were looking at me.” Her oncologist noticed - and saw potential.“He asked me, 'Can you please do a tutorial for me to show other patients?' And I said yes,” she recalled. As she continued treatment, friends, family and doctors told her she always looked“so good” despite everything.“They said, 'We even forget you're sick,'” she said.“They told me I should really do something to help other patients.”

At first, she resisted.“My thought was, do I really want to stay connected with cancer for the rest of my life?” she said.“When you meet clients and hear their stories, it's like reliving your own.” But the messages kept coming patients asking where to find wigs, creams, scarves; how she tied her wraps; what helped her feel confident. When she finished treatment, she knew she had to act. That led to Confidence Closet – Encore Edition, launched in summer 2025.

Raquel doesn't sell products; she sells a service.“I go with the client to choose the right wig, the right scarf, the right clothes,” she said.“If they have an event, I help them get dressed. I'm an oncology stylist.” She has already worked with 25 clients, mostly through word-of-mouth referrals from doctors, friends and support groups. She also receives messages from abroad.

Because cancer care can be financially overwhelming, she often works without charging.“Some women tell me, 'I would love to do this, but I don't have the means.' I have all the pleasure in doing it pro bono,” she said. For those who can pay, packages start at Dh300, with full-journey support costing around Dh1,000.

One client, she recalled, had completely isolated herself.“She wasn't capable of leaving the house except for treatments because she hated the way she looked,” Raquel said.“The stigma around how someone with cancer looks is huge.” Her friend gifted her a session with Raquel.“I visited her at home. By the end of our conversation, she was already another person,” she said.“We started with: Do you want a wig? A scarf? And I'm still with her until today - from the beginning to recovery.”

'This is as important as life-saving treatment'

Dr Rafal Iskanderian, consultant surgical oncologist at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, said Raquel's initiative fills a critical, often overlooked gap. When asked why emotional and appearance-focused support matters, he said that such care can be“as effective as life-saving treatment” in improving outcomes - because patients who feel hopeful and dignified often tolerate treatment better and stay more resilient throughout.

He also explained what makes triple-negative breast cancer particularly difficult to treat.“Breast cancer is not one disease,” he said.“Triple negative refers to cancer cells lacking estrogen receptors, progesterone receptors and the HER2 protein. This makes it more aggressive, more likely to grow faster and metastasize.”

It also“mandates treatment with chemotherapy”, he said, because targeted therapies used for other subtypes are ineffective. Yet he stressed that survival chances have dramatically improved.“Treatments are getting better and better,” he said, noting that early-stage breast cancers today have survival rates around 96%.

A message of hope

Today, Raquel is cancer-free, back to full-time work as an office manager in an architecture firm and running her styling project alongside her job. She says cancer transformed her“from the inside out”.“People now tell me I look happier; Small things become meaningful. I'm grateful for being here, being healthy and active.” Her message to newly diagnosed women -especially those facing triple-negative breast cancer like she did - is simple:“Cancer is not the end. It can be a beginning.”

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