Pre-Bald

It is Friday afternoon and in just a short while we will be heading to the McDowell’s house for Amy’s Head Shaving Party. In support of Amy, I will be shaving my head. Many of you may be wondering what motivated to me to do this and it actually all started with Paula, my mother-in-law.

Paula was diagnosed with lobular carcinoma shortly before Tana was born. Treatment commenced rapidly with a lumpectomy followed by radiation therapy. Shortly after we found out I was pregnant again, Paula found at that her breast cancer had metastasized to her spine.

This spring, I was running some errands and Paula came into my thoughts. She always comments on how she would love to have hair like mine. I thought to myself that if she were undergoing treatments that would cause her hair to fall out, I would cut my hair short and give it to Paula for a wig. At this point, she does not need any such treatment. That is when I decided to look into donating my hair to Locks of Love. Locks of Love is an non- profit organization that provides hairpieces to children who are suffering from long-term medical hair loss. After checking the requirements, I found that my hair still had some growing to do to reach the minimum donate-able length and still leave enough for my stylist to work with.

Fast forward a few months to when I received the email from Amy stating that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer at 38 weeks pregnant. In her email she mentioned that they would have a ceremonial head shaving party and that one person from each group to attend would have to shave their head. I looked at Ben and asked “Can I shave my head?” Finally, after all my years of asking, he said “Yes!” So, my hair is still going to Locks of Love, it is just happening a little sooner than I expected and my haircut is going to be a little shorter than I was planning. That is just fine with me though. Sometimes women need friends that will do crazy things with them in times of struggle. This way, I get to support Amy and child who is probably going through a similar situation.

Love you Amy! This hair’s for you!