From day one of chemotherapy, we knew the inevitable was bound to happen. That’s why she did what she had to do in order to take back control—beat this thing to the punch—so that it became her choice and not somebody else’s or even something else’s. I made that same choice years ago but under much less seriousness than what she was facing. And my choice was normal for men everywhere, it was not the norm for the woman kind. I have to say she made the right decision, but how do you tell somebody you love that she is still beautiful when I know she wasn’t feeling anything close to beauty. So how do you seize the upper hand in this chapter of the battle? My wife knew exactly what to do...you throw a party...A SHAVE PARTY!
Luckily for us, we had a support system who were ready to not only help out with the party...but to also participate themselves--showing just how much this woman meant to all of us. From the clean shaven to the infamous, in-style undercuts--we had the support of many family and friends in attendance. One particular participant--her father--was one of the most touching moments to witness during this journey as they shared in shaving each other's dome, first into mohawks then to eventually nothing. Even for those that could not make it to the party, pictures began overflowing through text messages and within our FaceBook group page from all of the ladies and men showing their support through shaved heads, undercut hairstyles, and even pink hair coloring. Losing all those beautiful locks of hair now became her triumph rather than her defeat.
One has to admit, her versus me, hands down she won the battle of “Who Wore It Best?” but it was not the type of victory she wanted to hold up high on her mantle. I took it on myself to remind her as much as I could that her beauty still shined inside AND outside--going as far as playing a rendition of Joe Cocker's You Are So Beautiful on my phone, holding one another in each other's arms, and shedding countless tears down our faces. As her husband and best friend, I was so proud of her for what she had accomplished by overcoming one of her ultimate fears and doing it all with such style and grace. As each day passes, it all seems like such a distant memory now as we all watch her beautiful hair continue to grow back inch by inch--as she has now even refused to trim any part of it as it lengthens--and who can really blame her, right?
