Little did six-year-old old Dylan know that he was going to inspire a movement when Aunt Premi Mathew asked him the reason for his long hair. The reason left Premi stumped — Dylan was growing his hair to donate it towards making a natural wig for those afflicted with hair loss caused by cancer. The young boy braved ridicule and cruel jokes to stand strong by his desire and that strength in turn inspired Dubai-based Premi to promote hair donation towards making natural wigs for cancer afflicted patients through her social networking page. Today Premi’s Hair for Hope (H4H) and Protect Your Mom (PYM) campaign have found resonance across the world.
Premi has an MBA in marketing and has set an example by harnessing only the power of the social media to create a huge movement that benefits chemo patients and women. Her success story could well be a case study as Premi has been instrumental in organising numerous hair donation events and is very passionate about her PYM campaign wherein she encourages kids and students to use their “pester power” to pester their mom to check for lumps and other signs of breast cancer. PYM has students and volunteers around the world, who work to beat breast cancer and has even held three major Pink walkathons in India.
Premi says, “Steve Jobs quoted in a speech at Harvard that ‘The ones who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do’. It was a crazy dream to think that I could set off a movement without any funds and support but both the campaigns are doing well.” Her involvement in the campaigns has lead to some precious and touching moments. She recalls, “A student who organised a PYM campaign told me that a kid had walked up to her and confessed that if such a campaign had been organised earlier, it would have helped save her mother from succumbing to breast cancer. Another survivor of a H4H said that she felt like committing suicide when people gave her strange looks after losing her hair.
Most people do not realise how much a wig means to a chemo patient — giving them a sense of dignity at a time when their own reflection is their worst enemy. One such lady wanted to be buried with her wig.”Premi has travelled to Kenya, Europe, China, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand but mentions that visiting London was the most nostalgic since she always wanted to go there. Her proudest moment was when she was nominated for the Emirates Woman 2011 for her PYM campaign. Premi loves listening to music and does Zumba in her free time and also loves reading books by Sidney Sheldon. And yes, she informs, “Dylan did donate his 16-inch ponytail towards H4H.”
