'Pink in the Rink' hockey game to honour breast cancer survivor

An upcoming high school hockey game between Superior Heights and Korah Collegiate will honour a local breast cancer survivor when “Pink in the Rink” takes to the ice this Wednesday in support of the Canadian Cancer Society.

Diagnosed at just 34 years of age in 2018, Superior Heights teacher Andrea (Stone) Pietramale became the first breast cancer patient to keep their hair at the Sault Area Hospital after she discovered Arctic Cold Caps – a cooling treatment system that prevents hair loss for chemotherapy patients.

“Doctors told me no one has ever kept their hair, so I thought what do I have to lose? I was going to lose my hair anyway,” she said. “When I showed up for my second chemo, they were shocked I still had hair. I should have been bald by then.”

SooToday last spoke with Pietramale in 2019 when she was dodged hair loss with the unique treatment method.

The treatment package comes with eight cold caps, which are frozen in a cooler filled with dry ice. On the day of chemo, the patient fastens a cap on their head before exchanging it for a new one every half hour to keep the scalp at freezing temperatures.

“The temperature goes to about minus 30 degrees,” she said. “Because it’s so cold, you’re giving your scalp hypothermia. The hair follicles close off because the blood needs to go to other places to keep it warm, so the chemo that’s in your blood doesn’t get to the root of your hair.”

While the cold caps aren’t guaranteed to salvage every strand of hair, Pietramale says she was amazed how well the application worked for her.

“I lost a bit of hair and it thinned, but I pretty much kept the bulk of it,” she said.

In recent years, Pietramale has assisted several local breast cancer patients at the hospital with the cold cap application process while she was receiving chemo treatments herself.

With the help of her colleague and fellow cancer warrior Laurie Alfano, Pietramale organized a fundraiser and raised $30,000 prior to COVID so patients could rent the equipment for free, which would save users from spending around $500 per month. The Sault's Michael Davies, a well-known musician, even shaved his head to help support the cause.

“It’s a win-win, but it’s not for everyone,” she said.

When the pandemic kept hospital patients distanced, which ultimately halted the opportunity for her to assist others with the cold caps, Pietramale admitted the momentum behind the hair loss treatment had slowed.

But with a breast cancer awareness hockey game coming up, she’s hoping to use the opportunity to promote the equipment that she believes can work wonders.

“It’s good to make awareness to your community,” she said. “Breast cancer, and cancer in general, can affect anyone. I was diagnosed at 34, and it doesn’t run in my family and I’m healthy.”

Pietramale is looking forward to dropping the puck at “Pink in the Rink” this Wednesday when the Superior Heights Steelhawks take on the Korah Colts for some hockey action at the John Rhodes at 3:30 p.m.

Pietramale is accepting donations for her cold caps fundraiser through e-transfer at [email protected].

Donations to the Canadian Cancer Society can also be made at the game or by clicking here.