THE CURE FOUNDATION'S
FINANCIAL AID FOR COLD CAPPING PROGRAM

The applicant must be:

• The applicant must be recently diagnosed with breast cancer. 

• Must be starting active chemotherapy.

• The applicant must be a Canadian citizen, approved landed immigrant or permanent resident.

• The application must be signed by either the patient`s social worker, nurse or oncologist. 

The application MUST be signed by the applicant and their health care professional.

• Completed application

• A copy of Notice of Assessment for the last fiscal year (all 4 pages) 

• A copy of spouse’s Notice of Assessment (if applicable) for the last fiscal year (all 4 pages)

• Only if on sick leave: Proof of employment income in the year prior to breast cancer diagnosis; last pay stub, recent proof of salary, disability insurance or employment insurance. 

• Letter of intent written by the applicant explaining his or her situation in detail and desire for cold capping. 

IMPORTANT: Health care professional’s contact information should be clearly written and include  a phone number and an email address. To avoid delays in the application process, we strongly recommend that you select a readily contactable health care professional (preferably a social worker or nurse). NOTE: Your application will not be processed without a confirmation from a health care professional

A letter of intent*. It should: 

1. Explain your need for financial assistance
2. Address the financial impact your diagnosis has had on you (and your family, if applicable)
3. Identify precisely how these funds would be used 
4. Indicate the amount requested

A copy of your Notice of Assessment from the last fiscal year. (all four pages)

If applicable, include the following documents:

• A copy of your spouse’s Notice of Assessment from the last fiscal year. (all four pages)
• Copies of birth certificates for all children under the age of 18.
• Only if on sick leave: Proof of employment income in the year prior to breast cancer diagnosis (e.g., last pay stub, recent proof of salary or disability insurance or employment insurance)

*CURE Foundation also welcomes letters of support written by your health care professional in  addition to your letter of intent. Letters of support should be sent to us directly from your health care professional.

Steps to submitting an application

Step 1: Confirm eligibility.

Step 2: Download application.

Step 3: Complete and email your application to infocure@curefoundation.com

An email acknowledgement of receipt will be sent to you. 

OR print and mail your completed application to:

CURE Foundation

ATTN: Financial Assistance Program

1320 Graham Boulevard, Suite 110

Mont-Royal, QC H3P 3C8

We make every effort to process all completed applications within 6 weeks of receipt. 

NOTE: Your application will not be processed without a confirmation from a health care professional

To reduce processing delays, please submit the completed application with all the required documents at the same time. Please do not submit applications more than once as duplicate applications will increase processing time.

Funding payments may only be made directly to the applicant.

Cold capping is the process of cooling the scalp to help decrease hair loss and risk of long-term alopecia when receiving chemotherapy treatment. This can be done either mechanically; with a scalp cooling machine, or manually; by manually applying caps that are rotated out of a cooler with dry ice. This works by constricting the blood vessels in the scalp as well as putting the hair follicles in a dormant or less active state. These two mechanisms of action cause less absorption of chemotherapy to the hair follicles, which decreases the damage and increases hair retention. 

Cold Capping is a scientifically proven process that reduces hair loss and decreases the risk of long-term alopecia during chemotherapy. Research shows that cold capping has a 78% success rate! Successful cold capping gives oncology patients the confidence to look and feel like themselves, as well as give patients the choice on who they share their cancer journey with. 

A day of cold capping can be quite intense. It is a labour intensive process to save your hair and try to make it as easy and comfortable for you and your caregiver as possible. 

Depending on the time of your treatment, you or your caregiver will pick up the dry ice the day before or the morning of treatment. Two hours prior to your treatment time, the cold caps will be layered in the cooler with the dry ice. The first cold cap will be applied one hour prior to treatment. The cold caps will be changed and rotated out of the cooler every 25min for the hour prior to treatment, during treatment and depending on your chemotherapy treatment 2-4hrs post treatment. 

Patients generally describe cold capping as uncomfortable but typically well tolerated. Most clients describe the feeling as an intense brain freeze that lasts 10 -15 minutes.

Absolutely! To get the best results, it would be ideal to start cold capping with the first chemotherapy treatment. However, initiating cold capping after the start of treatment would still decrease the risk of alopecia as well as encourage faster hair growth post chemotherapy treatment. 

We understand that a cold capping day can be very long and tiring. Unfortunately breaks are not recommended during treatment. Without the cold caps, your scalp would naturally warm up, leaving your hair follicles vulnerable to damage from the chemotherapy which would affect your overall hair retention results.