Raising Hair...

Wesbster's dictionary defines raise as: set upright; construct; elevate; breed; rear; increase in amount

My goal in life has become the last one...to increase in amount the hair on my head. I never paid much attention to my hair before. I grew it long, cut it, colored it and in general regarded it as just another accessory to be changed at a whim! Then at the end of July 2008 I was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer. Three surgerys in a week left me with a masectomy and a date with chemo. Chemo is much like having a child...while going through it you swear you will never do it again but with a little distance it doesn't seem so bad and with chemo you don't have to go through the teen years! So I finished chemo in January of 2009.

I didn't mind losing my hair with chemo...in fact I shaved it off for Halloween so I could be a green alien. How many chances in life are you going to get to paint your head green? I tried wearing a wig for one day...but too tight and I felt like it looked fake...my friends assured me it was fine but I would rather be bald. I found that wearing hats was a great alternative to the wig...when I got too hot it was easy to take off. I must say that it sure was easy to get ready for work in the morning with no hair to wash, blow dry and curl or straighten. I also had the feeling that people should know that this is what cancer looks like...with or without hair life goes on.

So now it is a year after finishing chemo and my hair is very slow to come back. This summer is my 35th high school reunion and I would like to have hair for it. When I was a bald headed baby it took until I was almost 3 to have much hair. I am thinking it may take that long again. So here I am trying to raise hair (increase in amount) before July. If it doesn't increase in amount then I may go bald again...at least it makes a statement! I have not just survived but thrived!