You Can Still Be Pippi Without Braids
In July 2016, I had surgery for breast cancer. A 2.3 cm tumor and 250 ml of breast tissue were removed from my right breast, along with all the lymph nodes in my right armpit. To avoid a recurrence, I had to go through 18 weeks of chemotherapy and 5 weeks of radiation therapy.
I had long hair for almost 50 years, so it was painful to realize that the chemotherapy would cause me to lose it.
"Well. There’s no point in crying about it," I thought. If I can’t keep my hair, could someone else benefit from it? I searched online: Where can I donate my hair? I couldn’t find anything. Oddly enough.
The First Chemotherapy Treatment
After the first chemotherapy treatment – when I hardly dared to brush my hair for fear that it would fall out – it looked like this. A gigantic ponytail bird’s nest.
After the second round of chemotherapy, 3 weeks later, the bird’s nest had grown bigger. I woke up every morning with large clumps of tangled hair lying around in the bed. "If only I had donated it before it became impossible to manage."
I met other women with breast cancer. All of us were more or less bald, and eventually I was ready to have the sad remnants of my hair shaved off. In October, my husband took the hair clippers and made short work of it: off with the bird’s nest. Goodness, how cold it is not to have any hair on your head! Freezing. Freezing. Freezing! I wore hats, scarves, hoods. Slept with a hat on so I wouldn’t be cold.
In shops, I became good at recognizing others with missing hair due to chemotherapy. We have a very distinctive greyish skin tone on top of the missing hair. We nod politely to each other and smile.
Chemotherapy ended in November 2016, and 2 months later the first soft sprouts of hair began to appear on my head. Lovely not to be freezing all the time! Away with the night cap.
In February, May, and November 2017, my hair looked like this:
At first, it was completely grey-white, and only later did it gradually become redder with grey streaks. Interestingly, version 2 of my hair is significantly thicker than before. It has become a proper mane!
A Hair Donation in 2018
In January 2018, I joined the Danish dragon boat team for breast cancer survivors. When new members join the team and we can’t remember who they are, descriptions like: "On Facebook she has curls" or: "It’s the one with the … hair" aren’t very helpful. It becomes crystal clear that hair means a lot. Both in our self-image and in others’ image of us. Because it is often the hair we first turn to when describing each other’s appearance.
In July 2018, the dragon boat team travelled to Florence for an international dragon boat regatta. It was terribly hot, and I was constantly short of breath and tired. Back home, I continued to feel breathless.
In August, I was admitted urgently to the respiratory medicine department, where doctors could see that I had fluid around my right lung. A tissue sample was sent for analysis, and the following week it became clear that my breast cancer had spread. So now I am "blessed" with breast cancer that has metastasized to, among other places, my liver, bones, and right lung.
I have been in various types of chemotherapy since August 2018 and have been fortunate that the chemotherapy did not affect my hair. In January 2020, I switched to a new type of chemotherapy with hair loss as a side effect.
Once again, I wanted to donate my hair, since I could not keep it myself.
And imagine how lucky one can be!
Throughout my cancer journey, I have been blogging. A kind employee from Toftild commented on the blog that I was very welcome to donate my hair to Love is in the Hair. I found a hairdresser in Hillerød who is part of the project.
After 3 years without a haircut, I could almost make a bun with my hair! After the cut, it became an ultra-short hairstyle that would last a maximum of 2–3 weeks before the rest of the hair disappeared. And not least, 5 braids that can be made into wigs!
I’m not looking forward to freezing again. On the other hand, it makes me incredibly happy that my chemo hair will benefit others. It feels (and felt) like such a waste to just throw it away.
Dear braids!
Safe travels!
Warm regards,
Ulla
