Support

test

The Beauty Behind the Bald Barbie Movement

The Hardest Part of Hair Loss

As an Alopecian, the hardest part of hair loss for me is that I am assumed to be sick, or more specifically, to have cancer. Not only don’t I have cancer, but beyond my immune system’s assault on my hair follicles, I am absolutely healthy. Bummer? Yes, but life goes on and I choose to move on with it.

Cheating Cancer One Body Part at a Time

How many surrendered body parts does it take to truly cheat cancer by BRCA mutation? 4 and counting….

Many Sides to Bald Barbie

Who would’ve thought Barbie could rise to the pinnacle of cancer politics? And still climbing. In a country in which approximately 12,400 children are diagnosed with cancer each year (and the number keeps climbing), I can see why the topic of childhood cancer could and would touch on raw emotions. It’s taken me some reflecting though to grasp how a Bald Barbie doll can come to hold the torch for that emotional eruption, especially when she has yet to even exist.

CHASING CANCER BRINGS HOLIDAY GRATITUDE

What a difference a year makes. Last year, I was writing a ‘Holiday Blawg’ due to my Mom’s diagnosis of Lymphoma two weeks before Christmas. It was very hard for me to put any cheer into the holidays. This year, I am recovering (recovered) from the Whipple procedure due to discovering that I had an IPMN (Introaductal Papillary Mucinous Neoplasm) in my pancreas which is considered a ‘pre-cancerous’ condition. If left untreated, an IPMN can progress to invasive cancer.

The BeauBeau

It’s finally cooling down here in the sunshine state, to the point that those early morning runs feel good - still sweaty, but not gasping. Thank goodness. I need all the inspiration I can get to stick with it sometimes. It’s all about getting past that energetic ditch, but hair loss is one of those factors that can make getting over that ditch akin to getting out of neck-deep quicksand. Even if we do get out, we’re way too exhausted to think about going for a run.

Helpless to Helpful

Have you ever marveled at the attitude of invincibility common to toddlers? I love to watch my young grandson, for whom every physical obstacle seems to be nothing more than a mountain that he delights in summiting. In his eyes and his young mind, the world and the possibilities it offers him are without limit.

Mother Daughter Cancer

As a mother, I would take cancer in my body in a minute over seeing one of my children diagnosed and having to go through cancer treatment. But then my children are grown, no longer dependent on their parents. Were I facing cancer as a mother of a very young child, I would be consumed with fear of not being able to be there to take care of him or her. But it gets even worse than that, doesn’t it? A 28-yr-old mom and her 1-yr-old daughter fighting cancer at the same time.

Cancer Speaks Hair Loss

When we lose our hair, be it due to chemotherapy, Alopecia areata, or other causes, we feel as if we are entirely alone, the first and last to be truly shocked and devastated by our hair loss. Our mind may know better, but in our heart, we feel alone. I try to remind women they are not alone. There are many of us who understand exactly what you are going through.

Bald Confidence Isn't Free

Who doesn’t love free stuff? Free drinks, buy-one-get-one-free, free flights, free advice, and my personal favorite - FREE WIGS - worn by who knows who, for who knows how long, and under who knows what circumstances. I collect them and they make me feel so much better about being bald.