In April 2014 I was diagnosed with breast cancer, resulting in having surgery, chemo and radiotherapy. I was then re-diagnosed in August 2017 with secondary breast cancer, resulting in 2 more courses of chemotherapy. Each course, aimed at helping me live longer, brought the dreaded hair loss.

To lose every single body hair makes you feel so vulnerable and very exposed. Your hair is your crowning glory and to be stripped of it hurts. It’s not just your head that’s the problem, living without eyebrows and eyelashes gave me a somewhat alien look. I felt I needed to hide and cover up what was going on, however it was a damned if you do damned if you don’t situation.

Wearing a wig was uncomfortable and made me feel like I was hiding and wearing a disguise, constantly worried it would slip or fall off. Not wearing one meant that you would get the half cocked head and pitying looks from people around you. I tended to use the wigs when dressing up to go somewhere special, but mostly felt more comfortable without the pretence and stayed bald. After chemo, my hair grew back into a magnificent mop of curls and I embraced them, which made it harder to have another course and lose them all again. When I was embarking on my last course of chemo, one of the biggest fears I had was that I might die bald, it still plays on my mind.