The Bald and the Beautiful
There are bald eagles, famous bald movie characters
and actors. There’s even a Mount Baldy
but nothing ever prepares you for your own baldness. A woman’s hair is her crowning glory. We are used to men losing their hair but for
woman it might be more frightening then the cancer diagnosis itself. Through experience I have learned
differently.
I looked back in My
Cancer Diary and I didn’t write about my first buzz cut. Maybe it was too traumatizing but hair (Ha!)
goes. My husband along with my stepson
took me to his barber. My husband would
never be caught dead in a salon and I figured a barber would be more familiar
with my new style I was forced to get.
I had long hair that fell to the middle of my back
and I didn’t want to deal with big chunks coming out in the shower. I was told
that I’d start losing my hair within weeks of my first chemo so I figured it
might be easier and do this dramatic change in steps. My neighbor gave me a cute short cut which I
had fun with it for a couple of weeks.
It was Saturday morning about 8AM when my family and
I entered into the barber shop. I wanted
to go early before anyone else arrived.
My husband and stepson went first.
They were buzzing their hair too.
I got teary eyed when my stepson was sitting in the chair. He didn’t have to do this but I believe it
was his way of supporting me and my husband his father. I told the barber not to cut his hair to short
so he gave him a faux hawk, my stepson later got his hair all the way
buzzed. He’s such a great kid.
By the time it was my turn there were about 6 people
waiting. Oh crap, I now have an audience
but they were wonderful giving me encouragement and telling me they knew
someone with cancer and one gentlemen told me how his mother has the illness
that makes you permanently bald and it wasn’t that big of a deal. I asked the
barber to give me a Mohawk before he buzzed it all off because I always wanted
one in the 80’s.
It turned out to be a better experience then I ever
thought. It was very liberating. As I entered into the chemo world and I
became as bald as a q-ball my husband loved it.
He said I looked like a hot Vulcan.
He used to rub my head all the time which I believe might have helped my
hair grow back at a faster rate than most.
I even had fun with wigs; I had a blonde, black and
brunette one. I had received them from
the cancer society or a private donor, most of the time I went bald or wore
hats. My neighbor ladies gave me a hat
party early on so I had lots to choose from.
I even had a dear friend knit me a pig hat which I wore to chemo. What I realized was my hair didn’t define who
I was and I wasn’t loved any less. My
fear of first going bald was just that, my fear. I now think it was one of the fun parts about
cancer. I was able to get ready for the
day much faster and it freed me from the hassles of blow dryers, brushes and
curling irons. I think a woman should
try going bald just once even if she doesn’t have cancer.
Next week I'll share my first time doing time (chemo). Until then go out there…and remember true beauty comes from
within so don’t be afraid to buzz it all off!
Might as well have fun with it
The Balding family, Ha!
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