JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Jacksonville hairstylist handed out more than 100 high-quality wigs Saturday to women undergoing cancer treatment, aiming to help them feel beautiful as they cope with hair loss.
Tarina Akbari, who has organized the annual giveaway for more than six years, held the event outside her salon, Platinum Cutz on Southside Boulevard. The salon provided custom fittings and styling for women receiving chemotherapy and radiation, many of whom said the support meant a great deal.
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“I love giving back to my community and I love helping women,” Akbari said. “It is the feeling that I get — the gratitude for helping other people. I try not to cry, but I get teary-eyed. I love helping women with high-quality wigs.”
Among those who received wigs was Angela Davis, who was diagnosed in December 2025 and recently completed her second round of chemotherapy.
“I am taking it day by day. I am feeling pretty good,” Davis said. “All of my hair had to get shaved off. It means a lot. It was so welcoming.”
Cynthia Rogers, diagnosed in June 2025, said she finished chemotherapy in November and is now completing radiation with two weeks left.
“It has been a long journey, but by God, I am here,” she said. “Radiation is very harsh. For Tarina to be able to customize the wig to me, I am so grateful.”
Marlaina Browning, a survivor of breast and ovarian cancer who attended the same event in 2023, returned to offer support and mentorship. Browning wore a pin honoring her late friend Kumoia Dorsey and encouraged those still in treatment to keep fighting.
“I’m here today to just be a mentor, just to be supportive for them,” she said. “They are also helping me as well...I want them to know that they can just focus, fight and finish.”