The Oasis: A salon for people dealing with hair loss due to illness
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Enter City Name Cancel Set Set Sign In Activate Your Account Create One Now there's a salon in Oshkosh to help people through this challenging process. The Oasis opened at Ascension of Northeast Wisconsin's Mercy Campus this month to cater to people losing their hair due to chronic illness by providing wigs, hair pieces and scarves. The salon is located in the Michael D. Wachtel Cancer Center at the hospital because people commonly lose their hair when battling the disease due to radiation and chemotherapy. The salon is funded completely by donations, said Liz Janzen, director for the Mercy Health Foundation. The hospital liked the idea for the Oasis but didn't have money in its budget to fully fund the project, so the foundation raised $250,000 through donations, she said. The salon looks like any beauty parlor you'd see outside a hospital. It's painted soothing tones of green and blue with comfortable modern furniture in its small waiting room. There's a display of several wigs at the entry. Buy Photo The salon offers wigs for people who may lose their hair due to chronic illness. (Photo: Lydia Slattery/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin) STREETWISE: The Granary in Oshkosh announces it will close Aug. 17, seeks new ownership STREETWISE: New $10.8 million assisted living facility plans to open by spring 2020 The salon only takes clients by appointment so each client can have one-on-one time with a stylist, Janzen said. The stylist at the Oasis, Rebecca Hurst, is experienced in doing the hair of women confronting hair loss. Before coming to the Oasis, she worked at another Ascension hospital's hair studio. She now splits her time between the two. A woman's sense of confidence and health is often intertwined with her hair, Hurst said. Wigs have improved over the years, she said. Hurst works with women to find the right style and will specially order wigs for clients. Hurst is "very passionate" about helping people feel good as they deal with chronic illness and hair loss, she said. Buy Photo From Left to Right: Liz Janzen, Rebecca Hurst and Sandy Andreini pose in front of the Oasis, a salon for people dealing with hair loss. (Photo: Lydia Slattery/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin) Andreini lost her hair twice while going through treatment but chose to go bald and skip the wig. She understands that the process can be painful. She had friends who felt they couldn't leave the house without wearing a wig. Good wigs are expensive, so this will help offset some costs, she said. The salon is "a place of comfort and guidance," Andreini said. “When you feel good, that’s what you need to fight a tough journey," she added. To donate, call the foundation offices at 920-223-0520 or email Liz Janzen at [email protected] More: City suspends tax rebates to Menominee Nation Arena, Bucks remain committed to Oshkosh Contact Lydia Slattery at 920-573-8725 or [email protected] Follow her on Twitter at @lydiaslattery. Thanks to our subscribers for making this coverage possible. Be sure to download our app. Follow us on social media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Newsletters