Please don't buy the wig.
Just pondering on today. I first saw this lovely lady last week. She has just been diagnosed with breast cancer. She's a young mum to 2 children, one being just a baby - and quite frankly (and understandably), she's terrified of so many things. One thing she is terrified about is the potential hairloss following chemo.
I get this!
No matter what our health is doing, we put our trust in the medical experts - but nobody considers hair or what losing it will do to us. It's not 'just hair'. It's the most outwardly visual sign that we are unwell. It's our identity. It's what we see in the mirror. It's our normal.
Being diagnosed feels anything but normal. It's a rollercoaster of emotions and what ifs, it's overwhelming and it's terrifying.
But focusing on what we can control can help to manage the situation in some way, and focusing on what we see in the mirror allows us that level of control.
And that my darlings is where I come in.
We had already discussed these ladies options and her clear brief was to still look like herself.
Of course, I set to work straight away - sourcing her a human hair wig almost identical to her own hair and ordering it on express delivery to arrive before her chemo starts.
Today she came back with her hairdresser who understands her needs, and tried on the wig. We discussed custom colours and cuts and how comfortable she felt in it.
The outcome is that she now feels reassured that should her hair fall out, this wig is ready for collection and can be hers to wear in a very short space of time.
I truly hope she doesn't buy it. I truly hope the cold cap works and she keeps her hair. And most of all I hope she sees a quick and full recovery.
But I guess what I'm trying to say is I never found this type of flexibility during my own hairloss journey. I would have had to buy that wig. I wouldn't have had the reassurance it was going to be there if I needed it. Why? Because I was only able to visit hair 'businesses', not people that actually care.
Damn, I hope that wig stays in the cupboard