Suzi Forst never imagined it would be so hard to go bald. “When I was first diagnosed with cancer, I thought it would be the least of my concerns,” says Forst. “I don’t believe I was truly prepared for how much you associate your identity with your hair. It’s such a defining characteristic. I felt like I lost a piece of me,” she says.
Doctors diagnosed Forst with Stage III inflammatory breast cancer in October 2010. As soon as she started treatment, Forst proactively checked out a wig studio so she’d be prepared for the inevitable. There, she met Jan Strassburg, owner of It’s Still Me, who talked her through the process. “She made what could have been a bad experience into a pleasant afternoon,” says Forst.
Strassburg understands what it’s like to lose hair because she’s a cancer survivor herself. “I had a big, thick signature head of auburn curls,” remembers Strassburg, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006. “It was so emotional to face losing my hair as well as battling cancer.”
She turned her tragedy into triumph when Strassburg opened her own wig studio only three years after her diagnosis. It’s Still Me in St. Louis Park caters specifically to women losing their hair, but it’s more than a wig store. Clients make appointments to consult with Strassburg about their hair loss so she can focus on their circumstance and needs. “We talk about what’s going to happen and how to live life without hair,” says Strassburg. “They can have a nice wig and have a plan. Then, they aren’t so panicked. They’ve done their homework.”
Wigs generally cost anywhere from $150 to $500, but they can top $1,000 in a cancer situation. Strassburg knew some people would have a hard time paying for a wig while they were battling a sickness and perhaps the resulting decrease in salary. She also remembered how many people surrounded her during her cancer battle. “People asked what to do for me, and I had no clue,” she remembers. So Strassburg decided to create an opportunity for friends to help through a gifting program at her shop, rallying friends and family members to donate money for a loved one’s wig.
“All I need is a key support person to get out an email or letter to a group of friends or co-workers,” says Strassburg. “The phone starts ringing the moment the email goes out.” She will collect donations from friends of the client and when the client comes in for a wig consultation, she learns her wig has already been purchased. “I cry, they cry,” Strassburg says. “We never get through those appointments without tears.”
Maggie Pastarr couldn’t have been more surprised to learn her entire office, family and friends chipped in to buy her a wig. “I was blown away; I couldn’t believe it,” says Pastarr, who was fighting breast cancer and coping with losing her fine brownish-blond hair. “It was definitely a relief because that’s a lot of money to fork out.”
Her co-workers donated so much money that Pastarr had money left in her account after picking out her wig. She purchased a few hair accessories and donated the rest back to the gifting program. “It’s such a lovely gift, and everybody wants to help when you are going through this,” she says.
Random donors also aid in the vitality of the gifting program. When Forst came in to buy a wig, she consulted with Strassburg and went home after placing her order. Then, Strassburg called her and said a book club in Plymouth donated to the program with the instructions that their money would help a young mother with breast cancer. “I was, and continue to be, extremely humbled by the generosity of strangers,” says Forst, who has since met and corresponded with members of the book club.
Strassburg agrees. “The gifting program is a win-win-win,” she says. “It’s a win for the people who receive, a win for the people who want to help, and a win for myself. It’s the most rewarding part of the business for me.”
Her personal connection resonates with her clients, who say Strassburg’s wig studio is more than a business: It’s a pep talk when they need it most. “I’m so inspired by how Jan took her personal medical crisis and turned it into a purpose-driven business that serves others in their times of need,” Forst says. “She does more than just sell wigs. She talks you through the entire experience with compassion and understanding.”
