A Hair-raising Experience?

Well, the deed I had been dreading is done and I am thrilled! Not only do I have a funky new short hairstyle ready for my wig-fitting, but I have a good donation of hair which will be on its way to The Little Princess Trust which provides free real hair wigs to children and young people who have lost their own hair through cancer treatment or other conditions. https://www.littleprincesses.org.uk/

As I have increasingly been losing hair over the last couple of weeks, I knew that the advice from both my nurses and other cancers patients was to have my hair cut before it became too thin and patchy, so it wasn’t a question of ‘if,’ rather than ‘when’ I would have it done. Having to pull clumps of long hair out of the plughole before the water would drain after a bath was unpleasant, as was finding balls of hair on my bathroom and kitchen floor – the human equivalent of tumbleweed and a symbol of something which has an unspoken about meaning. I had also received the date of my wig-fitting session and knew that I would need a shorter style for that to be successful and so the die was cast.

I am very fortunate to have a salon in the village, just 2 minutes’ walk from my cottage; I haven’t had the opportunity to visit as much as I’d like the last couple of years, but when I have attended an appointment, Rhian and Ceri have made the environment as safe as possible, so I knew this morning that infection control was one thing I didn’t need to worry about. I had experienced moments of anxiety about the ‘big chop’ for the previous few days but kept reminding myself “it’s only hair and once your treatment is over, it will grow back”! However, I felt no nerves, only excitement as Elain (my wonderful stylist) fixed the bunches of hair and proceeded to cut them off and lay them on the small table in front of me. Indeed, I felt a sort of catharsis as I shook my now ear-length hair and a positive anticipation when she began styling it. The big reveal came once I put my glasses on and I was delighted, liberated even!

I am continuing to focus on the positives of this journey and I love my new style, it will come into its own at night when I have the night sweats which come with cancer – no longer will I wake up with long hair plastered to my face and just think of what I’ll save on shampoo/conditioner when I wash it and also electricity when I blow-dry it! In addition, I am humbled by the generosity of others, which was added to when Elain refused to let me pay a penny, saying that it was the pleasure of The Salon to donate the cut to the cause – it was the first time I allowed myself to cry.

As I explained in a previous post, I didn’t think that hair would be such an emotive topic when I began this to-be-expected journey, but I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t. For anyone, but particularly women, your hair forms a part of your identity and is a big part of how you present yourself to the world. Mine will change yet again in a few days’ time, when I have my real-hair wig fitted, but in the meantime, I shall embrace this pixie cut and post off my donated hair with great pride, knowing that there will be a child who can face their own hair loss with dignity. I’ve included the link to The Little Princess Trust above and financial donations are always needed to be able to buy the other materials for the wigs and to pay for the making of them, so any small donations would be very welcome. I’ll share my wig experience soon, but in the meantime, thank you for reading and commenting, it makes this process much more bearable!