Monday, August 8, 2011

Losing my hair.... but keeping those chins up!

Last night I was lying in bed (I usually never go asleep before G comes up because he usually ends up scaring the bejesus out of me - on purpose of course!) and I was thinking about hair.  I heard somebody saying the other day that having to lose their hair was the worst part of cancer/chemo.  But to be honest, it didn't really bother me that much!  When my oncologist told me I'd be losing my hair I wasn't overly worried, I was more concerned about my eyebrows and eyelashes!!
I remember the last time I straightened my hair.... it was on January 1st, the day of my sponsored headshave.  It had started falling out a few days before and I was sitting at the kitchen table on my own (everyone else was in the sitting room watching a match or something) with my GHD in my hand trying my best not to pull on the hair and make even more of it come out!!  I was a bit sad I suppose but I didn't cry or anything over it.  I don't remember much of the headshave, there was music and waxing but I just couldn't wait for the shaving to be over and done with! Eventually they were ready to go and I had asked to go first so myself and Josephine (my aunt who was determined to shave her head too!) went first.  She was shaking like a leaf and squeezign the hand off me but all I can remember doing is laughing! I remember grabbing G's hand as Jo-Ann cut lumps of hair off and when he squeezed my hand back I knew everything was going to be ok! By the time my hair had been cut short enough to shave, Joe's was shaved and all but I had loads of hair so it took that bit longer!  There were so many people around taking pictures and I felt like a celebrity with all the flashes going off!
Eventually it was all over and G just came over and gave me a big hug.  So many people were coming up to me and telling me that I was beautiful and that I didn't need hair! Little did they know that I had spent over an hour doing my makeup and even wore lashes so that my eyes really stood out!!  I was able to watch everyone else then getting shaved and I didn't feel so bad when there were a few more baldies in the pub!
Aaron and Ryan were down in my da's and it was soooo cold walking down the road that I put G's coat over my head! Aaron didn't get much of a shock when he seen me because I had told him what was going to happen.  Ryan woke up when we were going home and he just started slapping my bald head!!
A couple of weeks later G shaved my head with shaving foam and a razor because I was leaving bits of hair EVERYWHERE!!  Then when my eyebrows and eyelashes fell out and I looked at myself in the mirror, THATS when I looked like I had cancer! My hair started coming back almost as soon as I finished chemo and now 6 months later I have a lovely afro!! Of course I miss my old hair and I do get upset and have a little cry over it sometimes but I know it will grow back and be frizzier than ever!
For any of you out there who are bald at the minute, just remember that your family and friends love you no matter if you have hair or not and they will always be there for you!! I used to go through conditioner like there was no tomorrow but I've had the same bottle since October now and its still half full! And think of the money I've saved on hair dye!!  You have to see the positive things in these situations!  We raised almost €6,000 (€2905 each for the camogie team and Arklow cancer support) doing that headshave and I'm delighted that I was able to raise that much!!!
I'm going to write another post on psoriasis later on, now THAT gets me down!!!
Me and G!

Before the chop!!

During the chop!

Still being chopped!

Nearly there!

Almost!!!!

Still going??

G's turn!


Me and my sis!

G bald!!

This was taken the other day, almost 6 months after finishing chemo!

3 comments:

  1. I love how you were smiling in every photo

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  2. I was also more sad to lose mu lashes and brows- made me look so much more like a cancer patient! Glad to see a six months on pic- gives me a little idea about what I might look like by Christmas! Good on you for going public and raising all that money- I shaved mine myself in the bathroom and didn't dare look in the mirror until I was finished! Xx

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  3. Hi Erin!!
    It seems like I can actually SEE my hair growing its happening that quick! Yours will grow back in no time, don't worry!! :)

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