When former international fashion model Sherri Thomas, a St. Louis native, lost her hair due to treatments for pituitary cancer in 2009, a memorable encounter at a local credit union made her feel anything but runway-ready.
“When I lost my hair, I wasn’t really worried about a wig or anything like that,” Thomas recalls. “But one day when I went to this local credit union I used to go to, there was a situation that occurred…”
Thomas entered the credit union wearing a ball cap—one of her trusty head accessories for avoiding strange looks in public. In a hurry to complete her transaction before the credit union closed that day, Thomas kept calm when the teller requested she remove her hat.
“I explained my situation to her. I said, ‘Well, you know… I’m a cancer patient, and I really don’t want to remove my cap… If I push it back off my face, is it possible we can still do the service?’
The answer was still no. Humiliated, Thomas reluctantly obliged. As she pulled off her cap, a loud cry echoed in the crowded bank lobby as one child pointed out, “Mommy, she has no hair!”
“It was embarrassing," Thomas recalls, adding that it felt like all eyes turned on her. "I was just disappointed in the bank, and my feelings were really hurt.”
After the incident, Thomas—a licensed cosmetologist, trichologist (hair-loss specialist), and trained wig-maker—decided to take matters into her own hands. As she began building a customized wig at home, she struggled to find a hairpiece to wear in the interim.
“No one had wigs that were fitting to your head," she said. "Most are made for people with hair, so they were all too big and you know, wigs are really hot. I was like, ‘OK, I’m going to make wigs that are breathable and fit your head like a glove, so you don’t have to worry about it.”
The bank episode, combined with the difficulty of navigating the wig market as a cancer patient, motivated Thomas to help other women in the same predicament. Still fighting cancer, she poured her remaining energy into studying the latest hair-replacement technologies, fine-tuning her skills to create realistic and breathable customize wigs using genuine human hair. After giving away her first wig to a fellow cancer patient in 2010, Thomas established a corporation out of her home and began donating custom wigs on a regular basis.
It wasn’t until 2012, after enduring a second round of radiation and chemotherapy, that Thomas came out in remission. That year, she opened her own salon, House of Raw Elegance, in North County. From day one, it was a different kind of beauty parlor.
You can still go to the Florissant salon for a cut or color, but Thomas also offers custom wigs and hair-replacement services. House of Raw Elegance became the vehicle for Thomas’ goal of creating a foundation that would donate wigs to cancer patients who can’t afford them.
Her organization, the Save A Life Foundation for Cancer Patients, does just that. Teaming up with local oncologists and nonprofits, the foundation provides wigs free of charge to patients suffering from cancer or other medical conditions involving hair loss like alopecia.
In the beginning, Thomas worked tirelessly to spread the word about House of Raw Elegance, giving away one wig and custom makeover every month.
“I don’t get a chance to give one away each month anymore, but [the foundation] does get a chance to give them away every quarter,” she says.
Thomas receives countless letters—sent through church groups, charities, hospitals, and organizations like the American Cancer Association—from cancer patients explaining how a custom wig could change their life.
Selecting a recipient isn’t easy, but Thomas’ wigs are now even more accessible to those suffering from medical-related hair loss. A registered NPI, Thomas is able to work with health-insurance companies to receive coverage for patients to receive a custom wig (normally $700–$800) free of charge.
After five years of building and donating custom wigs to cancer patients in St. Louis County, Thomas’ message is unwavering. “I want other cancer patients to know they’re still beautiful, regardless of whether they have hair or not," she says. "Just because they don’t have hair naturally right now doesn’t mean they can’t have realistic-looking hair that’s affordable. There are options, so you don’t have to worry about the fact that you don’t have hair. You can restore that confidence in yourself again.”
