Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

While they give you the disclaimer that you may or may not lose your hair, chances are good that you will wake up one day and see little follicles floating down the drain or little bald patches start to appear.

For woman, I would say it is more traumatic to see your hair fall out. Sorry, fellas…we spend millions on coloring, cutting and teasing, so you know we’ll probably take it harder.

Some people will shave their head rather than wait for it to fallout. Some will remain in a holding pattern until they see how much damage the chemo will do. Either way, be prepared.

Before my mom’s hair started to fallout, we sat at the kitchen table for hours picking out a few hats to have on hand incase the inevitable happended. And it’s a good thing to do this BEFORE it happens.

Needless to say, having your hair fall out before the holidays is not a good thing. And the more I saw my mom stare at her hair, the more upset she got. So I asked if she had considered shaving if off? She had been thinking about it and I told her if and when she was ready to do that, we would have a special Hair Today Gone Tomorrow Party for her locks.

A few days went by and after taking her to the local grocery store (so she could stretch her legs and enjoy a once simple task), we stopped for lunch and the conversation came up again. I told her if she wanted to make a day of it, we would get her nails done and show cancer who was boss – and so we did.

Even though your hair is falling out, when you are completely bald, it does take a little getting use to. But once again, in true spunky Ida fashion, when the stylist turned her around for a look in the mirror, she was able to utter those immortal words through her tears …”Deal or No Deal” – I kid you not, I about peed my pants I was laughing so hard and except for the missing soul patch on her chin, she could have easily played Howie Mandel for Halloween.

Maybe it’s because I was on the outside looking in. But after my mom’s hair was whisked away, she said she looked ugly. I looked at her and saw the most beautiful of creatures whose spirit, love and strength radiated to my soul.

Yep..that’s my mom, she might be bald but she’s smoking hot!

Helpful Hints:

Even though it’s falling out, taking that step to shave off what is left is very hard. If you present the idea and are met with some trepidation, leave it alone. Don’t push the subject. Trust me – even though they are taking chemo they will be able to tell you what they want and what they can and can not do – listen and take the lead from that.

Don’t be afraid to make this something special. Chemo patients already feel like crap because their bodies are being ravaged by the drugs. As my mom put it, it was like being turned inside out. So take the time to incorporate some pampering into the day – manicure, pedicure, facial, massage…whatever floats their boat.

If you are going to have someone else to the deed, be sure to give them the heads up. That way they can be prepared for emotions that might surface.