So, as some of you may know, my mother has basal cell carcinoma on her face, and had three operations last year to remove it. The three operations were a bit of a shock, as we, and the doctors, had expected only one operation. Basal cell carcinoma can be something of a bastard; a few cells are enough for it to grow back, as my mother discovered eight years after her first bout with it. It's also something Irish people can be at risk from, as a single sunburn can cause it, and as anyone who is Irish knows, we're so unaccustomed to the sun that we don't always take proper precautions. My mother handled the operations (and, indeed, the return of the cancer) with amazing good humour and grace, and I admire her beyond all description for it.
So in support of her, I am joining Today FM's Shave or Dye initiative for raising money for the Irish Cancer Society. On Friday February 21st (the end of this week!), I'll be shaving my head as part of a world record attempt for most heads shaved at once. I'm raising money both on- and offline, and if any of you want to donate, here is my online donation page: http://www.mycharity.ie/event/jennifer_harwood-smiths_event/
I'll be posting pictures online when it's done, so ye'll all get to see me bald!
You may have noticed I had the option to dye my hair. Over the years, I have dyed my hair every colour you can think of. The only one that wasn't intentional was green, as blue fades to green. Because I'm so comfortable dying my hair, I decided to shave my hair, because I wanted to do something I wasn't comfortable with. For me, this had to be something I wouldn't normally do, and where I am now in my studies and work, I am able to do it, and I will take the opportunity while it's there.
So far the support from everyone has blown me away: the Young Man; his choir the Ranelagh Singers; my coworkers; my friends and family and colleagues at college; it has all been overwhelming and amazing. I set my original target for €150, but the support has been so great I've reset the target to €500, and I'm already less than €20 away from that. To put that into context, the money that's been donated to me can "train a vounteer to provide emotional and practical support to people with cancer at any stage of their cancer journery" (from the sponsorship card). For those of you who want to know more, here is the Irish Cancer Society's page: http://www.cancer.ie/get-involved/fundraise/major-fundraising-drives/shave-or-dye/about.
Taking part in this was a decision that was at once easy and difficult. The easy part was all the arguments for it: it's a good cause; it's only hair and it grows back; my mother went through having an open wound on her face for a week, I can go through being shaven for a few weeks. Also, I will shave on shampoo and conditioner costs, and think how fast I can shower now! These are all solid, strong arguments and helped to make it easy to decide to shave..
The difficult part of the decision was dealing with the negative, but ultimately less solid arguments, all of which I've been able to bat down, with varying degrees of difficulty. The most trivial is probably that the weather is cold, so this is not going to be entirely pleasant. But I have warm hats, so that's fine. Will I look good with no hair? What better way to find out? The hardest is that it's culturally ingrained that as a woman, I should have a feminine haircut. It's how things are done. And it can be scary to say 'screw that, I'm going bald'. But I'm sure it's scary for my mother to go out with a still healing scar on her face, and she never shows it. She's magnificent, and her courage is what makes all of my concerns seem like silly little things. I've been told by many people that I'm brave for doing this; well, if so, I learned it from my mother, and if I'm half as brave as she has been throughout her life, I will count myself a lucky woman.
So in conclusion, if you can donate, please do. If you can't, supportive words are just as welcome! And pictures will follow soon!
