You forget a lot in five years.
Approximately five years ago I shaved my head in support of a friend who was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer all too early in her life. I kept it that way until hers showed signs of growing back. A few years ago her cancer had come back, but this time the doctors believed they could treat it with a weaker chemo that didn’t make her hair fall out. A few weeks ago they finally decided this was not the case and switched her back to Taxol. Last weekend she texted me saying her hair was starting to resemble a comb over and we should probably shave it soon. The next day she and I and two of her co-workers were all sans hair. Mine was the longest, measuring about 13 inches give or take, and will be donated. It’s kind of freeing, but at the same time it’s very humbling. I had forgotten how people stare and judge you. I stopped at Meijer that night and I made eye contact with a man around the same age as me and he immediately looked away and started shaking his head. That single act in itself is enough to make a person insecure, but I keep confidence in the fact that I know why I did this and that I had a choice to do this and how much harder it is for someone who doesn’t get that choice. It’s kind of sad the stigma that we have placed on a woman being bald. That there must be something mentally wrong with her, rather than it’s just a haircut. Now there are 6 of us total (going on 7 soon) that have shaved our heads to show our support for my friend and it makes me smile. I smile thinking that maybe the baldies will take the city by storm. I smile and laugh a little as I remember the evil grin my friend had shaving my hair off my head. I smile knowing she has so much love and support around her and she won’t go through this alone.
