Good Bye Hair, Hello Hat!

Author: Shannon Miller

Today is the day. Dressed and ready for a meeting today, ran a brush through my hair and even though I knew it was coming, there was pure shock at the amount of hair left dangling off my brush. For fear of looking a little mangy at this very lovely lunch meeting, I decided to break out the Big Sexy Hair hairspray and plaster all hair left on my head. If I can just stay out of the wind and avoid the pressing need to reach up and see how much hair is left, then I might be okay.

Luckily I was headed to one of our city’s large shopping areas for this meeting, so showing up a few minutes early to try on a few hats was a nice perk. I came home with a variety of hats from Great Gatsby to casual summer. I even threw in a fluffy headband.

I’ve never considered myself a hat girl but I think I could get into this. And the thought that I can wear a wig at times, so as not to scare anyone, excites me. No more worries about flat ironing, blow drying, styling, humidity. I can simply plop on a wig and head out the door!

In celebration of this lovely milestone in my journey through chemotherapy, my friends and I are throwing a wig party Friday night. We’ll see if it’s head shaving time by then and I may just bite the bullet. Regardless, we are going to have a fun night trying on wigs, hats and scarves, laughing (maybe a little crying…and a little wine) but most of all a great night with dear friends that will help me keep it light and keep it in perspective.

Don’t worry, I’ll post pics!

I’d love to know how you, your family or your friends dealt with the hair loss. It’s such a personal thing and such a symbol of cancer. Did you wear it as a badge of honor or simply try to get through? How long did it take to really get past the baldness? I wonder if I’ll be strong enough to look at myself in the mirror or if I’ll just go ahead and wear a hat or wig so I can pretend it hasn’t happened. The mind is a funny thing and we all face these issues in different ways, one not better than another. What helped you cope?