When Christell Wilsgård (31) from Eidsvoll was nine years old, she experienced that she was very ill, squinted her eyes and had a lot of pain in her head. After several visits to the doctor, she was referred to the ophthalmologist who suspected that something could be seriously wrong. Nevertheless, they felt that an MRI examination was not necessary.
– Mom still insisted that we take an MRI scan to be sure. When I finally took the examination, the doctors found a tumor the size of an orange, Wilsgård tells Dagbladet.
She says she can not remember much from that time, but she remembers that the doctor was immediately worried, and took her mother aside for a chat.
– On the way home, I just remember that my mother cried terribly in the car, Wilsgård says.
It was Eidsvoll Ullensaker Sheet who first mentioned the case.
HAIR: Christell Wilsgård says that she has gained a lot of self-confidence from the “wig”, and is grateful that she is still alive today. Photo: Private.
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– Unfair
As a result of the 36 radiation treatments and seven operations Wilsgård has undergone, she has lost much of her own hair. However, she still has hair on her forehead and neck, so the “wig” she uses is specially adapted for her. It’s called a hard part.
Until Wilsgård was 18 years old, she was covered by NAV. After she turned 18, she was covered NOK 14,825, because the hair part had to be specially adapted.
In 2018, more money was allocated in the state budget for this scheme, following an initiative from the Alopecia Association in Norway. Then the offer was expanded so that those between 18 and 30 will also have their wig covered for free.
– The cancer has spread
– Since I turned 31, I have had to pay for almost everything myself. I actually think that is very unreasonable and unfair, says Wilsgård.
Today, she is granted NOK 5,725 in benefits a year for the hair part from NAV, she states.
Nevertheless, Wilsgård must pay 35,000 kroner for two hair parts a year, in addition to repairing the glue and attaching it to the hair parts at the hairdresser every five months. Therefore, she has to pay a lot of hair from her own pocket.
Got shocked
Wilsgård is still affected by the many operations and treatments she has had throughout her life. She is still struggling with her eyesight, concentration and severe headaches. Therefore, she is partially disabled and works 70 percent daily in a kindergarten.
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It therefore came as a shock when she as a 31-year-old was notified that she now receives a minor in support.
– When I first received the message, I was completely devastated. I thought I had received an extended benefit, but I only got it out the year when I was 30, she says and adds:
– I went quite far down mentally, and did not quite know how I could continue to afford the hair part.
CHILDHOOD: Christell with her father, Terje Wilsgård, at the hospital after the first operation when she was nine years old. Photo: Private.
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After Wilsgård received the message from NAV, she sent a picture to several friends and acquaintances on Snapchat where she told how sad she was.
The response was enormous, and after a few days, both her friends and colleagues had started several fundraisers for the case to Wilsgård.
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– Feels unfair
One of them is the actor Håkon Smeby (39) from Gjerdrum who decided to proceed with the case to Wilsgård. Smeby tells Dagbladet that he became acquainted with Wilsgård’s family, after a fundraising campaign he carried out in 2019.
Now he rides around Norway on a motorcycle under the tab «Hawkon Rides», to raise money for the case to Wilsgård.
Smeby informs Dagbladet that in two weeks they have collected more than 40,000 kroner.
– I myself have family members who have had, have and will die of cancer. It feels unfair that you have to think about money in the situation Christell is in. Therefore, I have a hope that the fundraising campaign will create buzz around her case, he says.
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Wilsgård says she is completely overwhelmed and grateful for all the support she has received.
– I really appreciate everyone who has contributed, and for all the nice messages I have received. There are several who struggle with this, so I also get messages from people who say that it is good that I stand out with my story, she says.
– Absolutely damn
Wilsgård has long experience with the hard parts, but it would be a few years before she became aware of the possibilities she had.
– When I was little, I got three wigs from Radiumhospitalet, and then I tried regular hair extensions for a while. It did not work so well. But when I was 16 years old, I became aware that there were custom hair pieces that I could get glued to my head. The first time I used it, was for the school ball in 10th grade, and then I was named the ballet queen. I felt very nice.
Excited for this
She says that she still feels fine today, thanks to the hair part.
– It has helped me a lot with self-confidence. Some may think “it’s just hair”, but for me it has a lot to say, she says.
Nevertheless, she points out that it is not always as easy to live with.
– It’s damn good at times. It requires a lot of care, so for example I can not just go on a tent trip, because then I have to sit dangling my hair for a long time the next morning. When it sits, it’s very good, but it’s generally a lot of work, she says and adds:
– It is not “just hair” when you have the scalp full of scars, she says.
CANCER SURVIVOR: This photo was taken a few days after one of the seven operations Wilsgård has undergone. The photo was taken in 2017. Photo: Private.
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Vulnerable phase
Dagbladet has been in contact with NAV, which writes that they administer the regulations determined by the ministry. Therefore, NAV refers to the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs.
In an e-mail to Dagbladet, State Secretary Saida Begum (H) writes that children under the age of 18 have long had their wigs covered under a more favorable scheme than adults. However, the rules were adjusted in 2018.
– People between the ages of 18 and 30 are in a vulnerable phase when transitioning from upper secondary school to education and work. The government therefore proposed in the state budget for 2018 to extend the scheme which previously only applied to children to also apply to persons between 18 and 30 years, Begum writes.
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This means, according to the Secretary of State, that children and young adults are thus guaranteed the right to good wigs in the transition between school and work. This is a measure to prevent isolation for this group and contribute to more people completing education and entering working life. NOK 6.4 million was allocated for this purpose.
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– The benefit level is intended to reflect the average cost for moderately priced wigs. In many cases, the rate may be sufficient to cover an appropriate wig, says Begum.
– The source is partially disabled, because she still has many ailments after the course of the disease. Is this something that can affect the benefit she receives, and does it have anything to say that the hair part is specially adapted?
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– No, the condition for being granted benefits for a wig or headgear from the National Insurance Scheme is that the person in question has completely or partially lost his or her hair due to illness or treatment of illness. For people over the age of 30, the maximum benefit for a wig is NOK 5,725. If, due to medical conditions, you need an individually adapted wig, the maximum benefit is still NOK 14,825 per calendar year, she writes.
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