Breast Cancer Awareness Month remembers Sue Paxman

October marks Breast Cancer Awareness Month and is a poignant time for many around the world, including the Paxman family – pioneers in scalp cooling. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the death of Sue Paxman; the inspiration behind the scalp cooler.

In 1992 Sue Paxman was diagnosed with breast cancer. She began losing her hair whilst receiving chemotherapy for breast cancer and was treated with an early version of a cold cap. Unfortunately, the cooling therapy did not work for her. Her husband Glenn Paxman – founder of Paxman Scalp Cooling – was determined to develop a system that worked. Along with his brother Neil, Glenn built the first Paxman Scalp Cooling System in 1997.

Sue passed away in 2000, but her legacy through the development of the family’s revolutionary cold cap system, which has since treated many thousands of patients.

To mark Breast Cancer Awareness Month and in honour of Sue’s memory, this year the Paxman family are helping to empower patients through a series of online initiatives. Throughout October, they continue to raise awareness, advocacy and support for breast cancer, while sharing the work of the organisations the company has partnered with over the years.

Sue’s daughter Claire, and the company’s Director of Strategic Initiatives, said: “Our Mum remains the heart and motivation behind everything that happens at Paxman, every day. Being part of a family business which she inspired means we are able to celebrate her memory in everything that we do. This month we are proud to support the amazing Breast Cancer Awareness campaign by sharing the work of all the incredible people and charities we continue to work with.”

Chemotherapy-induced hair loss is widely recognised as one of the most traumatic side effects associated with cancer treatment. Paxman’s mission is to eliminate hair loss from chemotherapy by helping to make scalp cooling more widely accessible to patients around the world.

Scalp cooling works by lowering scalp temperature before, during and after the administration of chemotherapy to alleviate the damage caused to the hair follicle.

As part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the company will be holding a series of Facebook Live events, hosted by Claire Paxman, throughout October.

Paxman’s cold cap system has helped over 100,000 cancer patients worldwide to retain their hair during chemotherapy.

The company’s understanding of how important it is for cancer patients to keep their hair, and thereby a certain amount of control over their daily lives, is reflected in all of Paxman’s business operations.