Coping With Hair Loss
- Michigan sports reporter and breast cancer warrior Emily Waldon is losing her hair due to treatment. And just like with the rest of her cancer battle, she's sharing her most vulnerable moments with the world.
- SurvivorNet experts say that hair loss is one of the more "distressing" side effects of chemotherapy, a common breast cancer treatment.
- Hair loss begins about three to four weeks after your first chemotherapy treatment; you could start to see some hair regrowth about four to six weeks after your last treatment. But remember: Hair loss is temporary!
"Got my head officially cleaned up today and have to admit, I could get used to the hot towel treatment," she posted to Twitter on Thursday evening.
Read MoreGot my head officially cleaned up today and have to admit, I could get used to the hot towel treatment.
Letting go of the last of my hair is such a liberating thing. Fresh start to a chapter I'm winning day by day and 26 days until I'm back at the ballpark. #StandUpToCancer pic.twitter.com/fbvHaltH5N Emily Waldon (@EmilyCWaldon) March 18, 2022
Waldon, now 39, covers the minor league affiliates of the Detroit Tigers for Baseball America, and started her first season with the minors back in 2015. Since then, she's become a local favorite, so players and readers were shocked and distressed to hear about her breast cancer diagnosis that arrived at the start of this year.
She began chemotherapy shortly after her diagnosis, which resulted in Waldon losing her hair something she's been rather transparent about on social media.
"When I started this journey, I knew God was going to ask me to post this picture," she posted to Twitter on March 12 alongside a photo of her newly bald self. "My prayer was that everything I did could turn people to the hope of Jesus. This includes the low points. The stripping away of everything we hold near to us for comfort. The tears, the discouragement, the frustration."
#StandUpToCancer pic.twitter.com/Ln84LsucCO
Emily Waldon (@EmilyCWaldon) March 12, 2022
"Chemotherapy is an ugly thing, but I cling to the big picture result, as twisted as it may sound," she continued. "We make ourselves sick to make ourselves better. Cancer may steal our physical comfort, but it has no permission to steal our spirit. I'm bald. I knew this time would come and I promised myself I would continue sharing in hopes to lift the spirit of those around me, regardless of what their fight looks like. Please know that you are so much stronger than you know. Please don't ever stop fighting. I'm one day closer to winning. More inspired than ever to win this battle."
Coping With Hair Loss
Vivian Ruszkiewicz, a nurse practitioner with OhioHealth, a not-for-profit system of hospitals and health care providers in Columbus, Ohio, previously told SurvivorNet that hair loss is one of the more "distressing" side effects of chemotherapy, a common breast cancer treatment.
"It's one of the things that people can see from the outside that people may know that you are ill," she said, "and that poses a lot of stress for patients."
Chemotherapy Side Effects Hair Loss
There are a large number of chemotherapy treatments that cause hair loss, but not all of them, she said; others cause hair thinning. Ruszkiewicz stressed that if you are concerned about your hair, talk to your doctor or nurse practitioner about what to expect from your chemotherapy treatment.
She added that some people who only experience partial hair loss still choose to wear a wig, like many people who lose their hair completely, before chemotherapy so that they are prepared, "so they can feel more like themselves during chemotherapy."
Ruszkiewicz said that hair loss begins about three to four weeks after your first chemotherapy treatment; you could start to see some hair regrowth about four to six weeks after your last treatment.
"Then it will kind of continue from there, as long as you aren't being treated with another medication that might cause hair loss," she says. "But in general, most people do have a resumption of hair growth, and can slowly over time put away their wigs and scarves, and are able to kind of go back to what they expected in terms of their hair growth."
In other words, remember that hair loss is temporary!
Channeling Your Faith While Fighting Cancer
During a cancer battle, it is important to find ways to cope with the complex web of feelings you may be experiencing. For some, including Waldon, turning to faith can be a great way to keep spirits high when cancer starts taking an emotional and/or physical toll.
As previously stated, Waldon said: "My prayer was that everything I did could turn people to the hope of Jesus."
Waldon isn't alone when it comes to leaning onto her faith during her breast cancer fight. In fact, a 2015 National Health Interview Survey found that 69% of cancer patients reported praying for their health compared to 45% of the general United States population.
'My Faith Has Been Very Important' Louisville Ovarian Cancer Survivor Monica Layton's Story
This was the case for ovarian cancer survivor Monica Layton, whose church congregation helped her both spiritually and physically as she battled cancer during the Covid-19 pandemic. Her church also aided in her recovery after treatment.
Power of Prayer
Prayer plays an important part in providing comfort during cancer
National Health Interview Survey
Of cancer patients report praying for their health
"(I've) gone to the same church for a long time, so it's like another family that really supports me," Layton previously told SurvivorNet. "We're Episcopalian, and when I was having surgery, my priest came to the hospital and stayed and prayed with my family the whole time and it was a long surgery. And then he came back to the hospital every day to pray with me."
"I think my faith has been very important, crucial for me just the prayer really helps, I think."
Understanding Breast Cancer
Breast cancer is a common cancer that's been the subject of much research. Many women develop breast cancer every year, but men can develop this cancer, too though it is more rare, in part, due to the simple fact that they have less breast tissue.
There are many treatment options for people with this disease, but treatment depends greatly on the specifics of each case. It is important to note that the stage and type of Waldon's breast cancer is unknown. Identifying these specifics means looking into whether the cancerous cells have certain receptors. These receptors the estrogen receptor, the progesterone receptor and the HER2 receptor can help identify the unique features of the cancer and help personalize treatment.
The Unique Features of Breast Cancer: Deciding the Right Course of Treatment
"These receptors I like to imagine them like little hands on the outside of the cell they can grab hold of what we call ligands, and these ligands are essentially the hormones that may be circulating in the bloodstream that can then be pulled into this cancer cell and used as a fertilizer, as growth support for the cells," Dr. Elizabeth Comen, a medical oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, previously told SurvivorNet.
One example of a type of ligand that can stimulate a cancer cell is the hormone estrogen, hence why an estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer will grow when stimulated by estrogen. For these cases, your doctor may offer treatment that specifically targets the estrogen receptor. But for HER2-positive breast cancers, therapies that uniquely target the HER2 receptor may be the most beneficial.
"The good news is there are so many different treatments and options available, and doctors really are attuned to trying to understand patients better, to figure out what are their individual needs," Dr. Comen said.
Contributing: Abby Seaberg
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