Borrowed this great documentary from the selection of reference material in the oncology waiting room at the hospital. It aired on Viewpoint on PBS a while back, and follows a photo shoot with 3 women who are undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer. They met during their treatment and decided that they wanted to do this photo shoot for posterity. The husband of one of them is the filmmaker.
In some of the shots, taken with a very large format camera, they wear scarves or hats and in others go without head covering. One of them comments that she works in a very corporate environment where it wouldn't be acceptable for a woman to be bald or even wear a scarf. "It would make them uncomfortable" so she wore a wig every day and "pretended to be the person I was before I got cancer." Another had a very nice wig, but mostly wore hats and scarves (it was winter) and occasionally went bald. She said she wanted people to know that "I was different...I have cancer and am fighting for my life."
The photos from the shoot look fantastic and it's a documentary worth catching if you get the chance.
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Hi: I've never tried this blog thing so thanks for dragging me into the 21st century. I was the main home care giver for my mom through 6 applications (thats 6 x 6 rounds) over the course of a few years and over the course of that time I never, ever, saw her bald head. One of the things I have learned through my cancer learnings has been how life altering it is for women to lose their hair. I guess for us guys who, from day one, are faced with the potential of going bald, we have a different perspective. Of course, for women, being bald is like walking around with an "I'm in chemo sign" and occasionally people in treatment want their lives to be more anonymous and not have chemo be the start of all conversations. I'm glad that your friends are helping you embrace your new look. Be proud. Be bold. Be your own outgoing self.
Good wishes
Jimm in Stonewall
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