When Ron Sachetti entered his essay into the "Win a Free Hair Transplant" contest sponsored by the Hair Transplant Network, he didn't think he had much chance of winning. His level of optimism, in other words, had plummeted as far as his self-esteem.
"Baldness seems to have taken over my entire life," said Sachetti, a 35-year-old network operations manager from Halifax, Nova Scotia. "Every day, I get home from work, I put on my ball cap and don't take it off until bedtime."
Patrick Hennessey, publisher of the Hair Transplant Network, a popular online community, created the contest to enable hair-loss sufferers to connect with top hair transplant surgeons willing to perform the work at no charge.
Sachetti outshone all of the other participants with his heartfelt essay.
"My oldest daughter and I enjoy watching live hockey together," Sachetti said. "At the beginning of hockey games, they play the national anthem and of course you have to take your ball cap off. My daughter hasn't caught on, but I always go to the washroom when they play the anthem to avoid taking off my cap."
The cost of a hair transplant was quite intimidating as well.
"I am now 35 years old and going through a divorce," he said. "I know now that, financially, I won't be able to afford a transplant, but a transplant would change my life."
After choosing Sachetti as the winner, Hennessey approached Drs. Robert True and Robert Dorin, two hair restoration physicians located in New York, and asked them to volunteer their services. Both physicians were eager to help and began corresponding with Sachetti via e-mail to get a feel for his case. They performed a hair transplant on him on Nov. 10, 2004.
"Even though I was a 'Win a Free Transplant' winner, I was treated with VIP status during the entire day," Sachetti said. "As soon as I walked into the office, I knew I was in very capable hands."
While the results of a hair transplant take several months to develop, Sachetti is making good progress.
"There are already some nice changes taking place," said Dorin. "We wish him all the best in his future endeavors."
To learn more about hair restoration surgery, log on to www.truedorin.com. To follow Sachetti's progress, visit www.truedorin.com/ron.php. -NU |
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