Thursday, January 29, 2009

Hair-Before, During and After





Shana is taking her cancer diagnosis by the horns and is cutting off much of her long blond hair today in anticipation of chemo-induced hair loss. I admire her for doing it. Everyone has to do what makes them comfortable and this is her way of taking control of the situation.

I know that it is the hardest part of having cancer for many people, but I found that though the anticipation was horrible, once my hair was gone, I never looked back. There are difficulties to being bald, but I never felt bad or embarrased about not having hair. I felt like it made other people uncomfortable sometimes, but when I looked in the mirror, I just saw me. Maybe more of me than I had before. I actually had to take a look at my face since I couldn't focus on how my hair looked.

My hope for Shana is that she finds the strength and beauty that can come from losing your hair. Whether she chooses a wig, a scarf, a hat or none of the above, I hope she feels comfortable enough in her own skin to be proud of how she looks.

I am including before, during and after pictures to remind her that it really does grow back. Mine is in the process of growing back and still isn't very long....but it is hair and it is mine and I am comfortable with it.

1 comment:

mememememe said...

Thanks for posting your pics, Tracy. You are my inspiration!