Today we met with a lady who is now a 7-year breast cancer survivor. She is strong, confident and filled with passion for life. As we were talking, we got on the subject of going bald. It's something that still happens to many cancer patients as we are still forced to prescribe chemotherapy to many of them. Our hope is that as newer therapies are developed, we will see more targeted therapies that don't cause hair loss.
Meanwhile, people ask us a lot about Bill's hair loss. I think for men losing the hair on their heads is not nearly as troublesome as it is for women. But the truth is, it's not just about being bald. That's not the troublesome part. It's that something as ugly as cancer caused you to have to take a poison that wiped out your hair! It kinda makes you mad no matter your age or gender.
When Bill woke up after his very first treatment, his hair was all over his pillow. As I began dusting it off, I flat out asked him, "Do you want the chemo to take your hair or do you want the kids to do it?" Nervously, he chose the kids.
Dylan was 3 years old and Morgan was 5 years old. I got out the clippers and let each of them shave one side of his head. We were out back on the deck and we made going bald a family affair. In some ways, that made it a fun event for us all instead of a sad one. The day we did this we were laughing, but when I think back to it, I get teary eyed. A young daddy with his kids enduring this is quite an emotional experience.
Every patient does this in their own way. It's so interesting to hear the many stories out there. If you drop by the blog and have one of your own to share, let us know.
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