Smiles That Stay With You: Our Day With Terapia de la Risa

One October morning we traded our wigs for a red nose for a little while and joined Terapia de la Risa to spend time with cancer patients at the CTIC. This is what we experienced, and why a wig brand like ours decided to be part of it.

Terapia de la Risa: the clowns who stand by patients through treatment

Terapia de la Risa (“Laughter Therapy”) is a university volunteer group that dedicates its time to accompanying people with cancer. Their method is as simple as it is powerful: they dress up as clowns —red noses, hand-painted coats, colorful wigs, butterfly wings— and walk into the rooms where patients are receiving treatment to make the time a little lighter.

They don’t come to make anyone forget about cancer, but to be present in a different way. A treatment session can last for hours, and in that time a song, a game or a bit of mischief completely changes the mood of the room. Laughter doesn’t cure the illness, but it does keep company with the person going through it, and that is already worth a lot.

The day at the CTIC

The visit took place at the CTIC, the Luis Carlos Sarmiento Angulo Cancer Treatment and Research Center, in Bogotá. We joined Terapia de la Risa for one of their sessions, in the area where patients receive therapy, with the city’s skyline framed by the large windows behind us.

We didn’t go as spectators. We put on the red nose and joined the circle: we sang, we played, and we got in on the clowns’ antics. The goal for the day was simple and enormous at the same time: to get a smile.

There were moments for laughing out loud and moments for lowering our voices and coming closer. One patient, in her chair and wearing a mask, welcomed the clowns by her side. Sometimes the best way to accompany someone is simply to be there, as equals.

And, of course, we left a gift. We gave some of the patients a My Doll Hair wig, designed for those going through hair loss during treatment. It wasn’t just a nice gesture: it was a way of telling them that their image, and the way they feel beautiful, also matter.

Why a wig brand was there

At My Doll Hair we make wigs, extensions and ponytails from semi-natural hair that looks and feels real. We work so that any woman can afford them at a fair price and feel beautiful and good about herself.

That purpose connects us directly with the experience of cancer. Many cancer treatments cause hair loss, and for many women that is no minor cosmetic detail: hair is part of how they recognize themselves in the mirror. Losing it, on top of everything else, can hit their self-esteem at an especially fragile moment.

That is where a wig stops being a product and becomes a tool for getting back a little piece of normality and control. That is why it matters to us to be close to those going through this process: not just as a brand, but as people.

Our commitment

Joining Terapia de la Risa was a reminder of something that drives us: being a conscious brand isn’t only about selling a good product, but about being where our customers truly need us.

We want to do it again and keep building alliances with those who, like Terapia de la Risa, face cancer head-on with care and companionship. And we want every wig that leaves My Doll Hair to carry that same intention: to help a woman feel like herself, no matter what.

If you or someone you love is walking this path, write to us. We would love to be there for you.

Joy, in motion

A few moments from that morning with Terapia de la Risa:

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