Hospital Gown Makeover

I picked up a copy of the September issue of British Vogue today and have been blown away. The issue is completely different than the glossy Vogue I flip through every month. I was on the train today coming back from a day in Williamsburg and stumbled upon an article that I quickly fell in love with. The article, Teen Spirit, is about 18 year old Susannah Temko was diagnosed with ovarian cancer two years ago this month. Today Susannah is happy, healthy, addicted to fashion, and incredibly upbeat.

Most teenagers diagnosed with cancer are treated in either adult or children's wards. With the help of two of her friends, Susannah is promoting a program called The Teenage Cancer Trust Fund, a unit in which adolescents are treated together; each patient is given an en suite bathroom, plasma screen television and sound system. The plush treatment facilities keep going, the wards also include communal spaces, patient kitchens, and unlimited visiting hours. Susannah described her treatment experience as, " Its creeping malignancy attacks the very essence of what teenage life is about- exuberance, recklessness, and infallibility. The TCT wards help make a person's experience as 'normal' as possible. Lots of teenagers get put on wards with geriatric patients, many of whom are waiting to die, and where the visiting hours are strict...They can be the loneliest places..."

Susannah with the help of two friends (Ellen and Liss), Vogue, and eight British designers are collaborating on a fundraiser to support TCT. Designers such as Alexander McQueen and Henry Holland are making over hospital gowns to be auctioned off at the fundraiser. Only 10 units currently exist in the UK and the additional funds and support will help keep the facilities running and help with the addition of three new units in London and the South East.

What a great fashionably charitable cause. You can check out more information about TCT here.

Susannah in Giles Deacon (center) with friend Ellen in Stella McCartney (L) and Liss in Matthew Williamson (R) in made over designer hospital gowns.

"We used key McQ components like the zip and our seasonal sleeve"~Alexander McQueen

"We put polka dots with our spring/summer fabric to brighten it all up"~ Henry Holland

"I wanted to replenish everything and make it bright and lovely- to give it a little va-va and make you laugh. Now, it's a color that makes your heart leap."~ Christopher Kane

(all images/information from British Vogue September issue)