HAIR! A woman’s “crowning glory “, or is it? We complain about it; it’s too short, too long, too curly, too straight, too thin, too thick – you get the picture. Yet we can’t live without it, or at least we think we can’t. Hair is an integral part of our persona, and defines who we are. It gives us confidence, it says who we are to others. We spend a considerable amount of time and money on our hair, just to make sure it shows us to our best advantage. So what happens when it’s suddenly gone?

This morning I woke up with a reasonable amount of hair, although the last few days large bunches were coming out, exactly two weeks after I started chemotherapy, just as was predicted. So a few hours ago, I went to get my head shaved. Yes, there were tears, but also laughter. We made it a family affair with Howard, daughter Kris, and grandson Justin there to talk me through it. I look in the mirror and see this strange creature looking back at me. Is that really “me”? Who am I? Am I still the same person? Are my ears really that big? My head looks like a round cabbage (at least it’s not green 😀). My family assures me that I look great. Of course they’re lying, but that’s okay, I’ll accept that!

What a strange and unusual journey this is. I am surrounded with lots of love and the most caring of friends. Quite overwhelming. How could I be so lucky? Having said that, I would not recommend it! I could do without the fatigue, the nausea, the flu like symptoms. But I’m alive, and loving every minute of it, even without the hair!
Hugs,
Maggie