I had grown up in a family of hairdressers, and a decent hairstyle was an important value to me.
The day dawned, however, when a biopsy indicated that I had Breast cancer. With a very large tumour, I would require a full mastectomy immediately.
It was a very frightening time in my life. There were moments when I would shake uncontrollably from the top of my head to the soles of my feet. The anxiety of leaving my seven children without a mother took over. For me, there was only one place to go, and that was to my knees, where I cried out to God to keep me safe and well. My health journey from that point on was one of the many challenges in which I experienced many moments of blessing and divine interventions.
Following surgery, the dreaded news came. I needed to have chemotherapy, and I would lose my hair. It was time to face my greatest fear. Two of my closest friends had walked the path before me. Both of them had shaved their heads as their hair began to come out in handfuls.
They also decided to own the reality of their situation by keeping their heads bare or covered with a cap. Not the way that I wished to follow for myself. I absolutely dreaded having a bare head.
Fortunately for me, my sister Jennifer Foley, specialised…specialised in wigs for people like me. She came speedily to my rescue as soon as she heard my dilemma and offered me a variety of different wigs while I still had my hair. To my great surprise and delight, the wig I chose was, in fact, much more attractive than my own hair. I actually felt quite glamorous wearing it. As I approached the big moment when my hair began to come out in clumps, I was so relieved to be able to put on the wig and feel good about myself.
I never let my family see me without my head covered. It was a wonderful relief to emerge each day looking myself and feeling like my hair looked good. People sometimes commented on how lovely my hair was; little did they know!
For me, facing what I thought was my greatest fear was made so much more comfortable and peaceful by having a lovely hairpiece that I could pop on each day. Really it made all the difference to me, and even though having chemo was no pleasure, it was certainly a great relief to have a lovely head of hair.
It was a very important factor in the whole picture of what happens when a woman has chemo.
If you are going through chemo, we’re here to help, and it can all be done virtually from the comfort of your own home. Book an online consultation with me, and I’ll take you through every step of the way.