Joy, a Hair Salon and Oasis, a Hair Salon has reopened at Ascension Mercy and St. Elizabeth Hospitals with the support of Marianne Kasten, the salons' new stylist.
The salons allow Ascension Wisconsin to meet the needs of patients by providing holistic care to treat the whole person, especially cancer patients being treated at Michael D. Wachtel Cancer Center at Ascension Mercy or Ascension St. Elizabeth Hospital's Cancer Center.
The hair salons supply wigs and head coverings for people of any age experiencing hair loss. Services offered include consultations for wigs, head shavings and haircuts. This is made possible through donor generosity to Ascension Mercy and St. Elizabeth Foundations.
“There are many different changes that treatment can do to patients’ hair, nails and skin,” Marianne said. “At about the same time as I started working with the wigs, I also started working for the Look Good Feel Better program through the American Cancer Society. The program is no longer available, but I am proud to be a part of the reopening of the hair salons and to share the knowledge that I learned from that experience.”
For the majority of her career, Marianne has owned and managed salons while providing oversight to as many as 22 employees. Marianne was born in Loosduinen, The Hague, in the Netherlands. Her parents immigrated and she became a naturalized citizen of the United States. Personally, Marianne is married and has two children. For fun, she enjoys yoga, going for walks, crafting, reading and traveling to the Netherlands when possible.
“When you are suffering from hair loss due to cancer treatments there are very few options available to you. Many questions arise and many of them are personal. That is what drew me to join in opening the Joy and Oasis salons. They are absolutely beautiful facilities and so much good can be done for the patients peace of mind. I love the fact that all patients are treated equally and are able to utilize the services at the salons with no cost to them,” Marianne said.
Marianne is looking forward to helping patients find answers to the questions they may have in a private, calming space.
"With this resource, patients can focus on healing," Marianne said. "When I give of myself to a person it always comes back two fold, and I feel like I have made a small difference in our world.”
For patients that would like to schedule an appointment with Marianne, please call
(920) 831-8458. Marianne will receive messages and schedule patients at either location based on their preference on a request basis.
Donor support makes this care possible. When you make a donation to Ascension St. Elizabeth Hospital Foundation or Mercy Health Foundation, you make it possible to provide compassionate, personalized care close to home.