For cancer patients going through treatment, hair loss can be a devastating side effect which becomes a personal battle.
Cami, a Charlotte, North Carolina resident, filmed a video with her younger sister Gaby, who is battling an unnamed cancer. Cami explained that she had shaved her head after Gaby’s hair had fallen out as a result of cancer treatment (a common side effect of chemotherapy). Well, Cami showed her support one step further by shaving her eyebrows and assuring Gaby that there was nothing wrong with having no hair. Immediately, Gaby burst into tears.
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Cami’s video was watched by three million people, and celebrities including Rihanna, Emily Ratajkowski, Janet Jackson, and others responded to the post with encouraging messages.
“This made me cry. I was actually going to shave my head for the Janet. Tour,” Janet Jackson wrote on Twitter. “I love a bald head on a woman. I think it's beautiful! You & your family are in my prayers. Stay positive & strong. You're so beautiful.”
Hair Loss During Cancer Treatment
Hair loss is a common side effect of chemotherapy during cancer treatment, which typically occurs three to four weeks after chemotherapy cycles begin, but luckily it’s only temporary. Hair often grows back four to six weeks once treatment is complete, and some patients may even experience texture and color changes in their hair when it returns.
For many people, hair loss can be a distressing experience, but like Gaby, breast cancer survivor Brittney Beadle had her mother and brother there by her side the entire time.
“Throughout this entire journey my mom was always there for me … when my hair started falling out, and I said 'Mom, we need to shave my hair,' she took the buzzer and she shaved her head with me," Brittney told SurvivorNet. "We were just a family of shaved heads.”
Breast cancer survivor Brittney Beadle talks about her family’s support during chemotherapy
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