Hair? Not Here!

Well, I did it. I asked Amy, my hair dresser, to buzz my hair before it fell out on it's own. Now I've taken it a step further … I shaved my head. Actually, I did not shave it. I went to the barber shop down the street from my office, Finley's. Here is the link to the 3rd Avenue location:  Finley's Barber Shop. They have several Texas locations, include many in the Austin and surrounding areas. Check them out!

My appointment was with a guy named Cory. He has experience with friends and family diagnosed with cancer and is very sympatric to the cause. Note: His friends and family kicked cancer to the curb, but not without a fight. Cory was so sweet and very sensitive to my emotional state of mind. I am happy to say this was an easy and unemotional decision for me. As Amy can attest, I am fearless when trying new hair things cuz "hair is hair"; it grows back if you don't like the result (of course with Amy, I always LOVED the result). So shaving my head was not much different. I told Cory he didn't need to worry. I wasn't going to cry. And I didn't … then.

First, let me back up a bit. The scheduler (wish I remembered her name) is amazing and super, super sweet! She made sure I was paired with someone sympathetic to my plight. Second, going into a barbershop as a woman is a bit weird. They offered me a beer or any other non-alcoholic beverage of my choice, then escorted me to the back room waiting my turn. The back room is a cool man cave! There is a beautiful wooden bench wrapped around the room, a huge flat screen TV on the wall playing sports (what else - it's a man cave!), a pinball machine, and a mini-fridge. The only thing missing was a couch or overstuffed chairs. But hey, this is a barber shop. I love this room. Of course, I was the only woman there. Before I left the room, I had been joined by no less than 6 guys. Not one of them looked at me weird; actually, they didn't look at me at all.

Cory called my name and escorted me to his station; the bliss begins! First, the hot towels! I love hot towels, hot blankets, hot showers. Soothes my soul … and my cold body! Then the lotion on my head, I am guessing to make what little hair I had stand up a bit more. Cory started by buzzing my head to the stubs, followed by more hot towels. Then the shave cream and … wait for it … the RAZOR! The old-timey razor you see in the barber shop scene in Westerns. Guess it isn't so old-timey, huh? Regardless, Cory handled that razor with skill and dexterity. He did a fabulous job!

After the shave, I asked Cory if I can rock going commando (talking hairless head, not commando in the more common meaning). Luckily, I have a nice round head with no dents or bumps. Commando it is! Well, with a pink bow. But that's it! I put on the pink bow, paid my bill, and headed out.

I was pleasantly surprised to find my dear work friend waiting for me. I would love to mention her name cuz, for me, it was a BIG DEAL! She is very humble and thinks it's nothing. Bah! But I don't want to embarrass her. If I get permission, I will reveal her identity another time. She wanted to be there in case I had a hard time handling the bald head. I was greeted with "do you want to sit down? go for a walk? head back to the office? you okay?). I hugged her. How thoughtful … and selfless. I was so happy to see her! I still didn't cry, but I did mist up a bit, but not where it was noticeable by others. I was crying with joy on the inside, as I was so touched by the gesture.

We ran into a co-worker waiting to cross the street to the office. He shaves his head, so now we have something in common. He saw me and laughed. The perfect reaction for me!! Those in my office that didn't know I have cancer know it now! I was surprised by the number of people surpirsed. I thought we had a more robust rumor mill. I guess that's a good thing. Regardless, I sent a link to the blog to those shocked by the bald head. To be honest, many thought it was just Vicki being Vicki - another funky hair thing.

Another touching thing that happened on Wednesday is when another co-worker stopped by and gave me a card and a hug, then walked off. It was a very touching card, with a pair of bedazzled butterfly sunglasses. So Vicki! For those of you that don't work with me, I have a collection of funky glasses that I whip out in meetings that could get heated. You can't be mad when you are looking at an old lady with curlers and the pointy glasses, or Captain America, or Luigi, or Flash, or a mustached man, or a cute cat. The list goes on. And now adding a bedazzled pair of butterfly sunglasses!

Note: Something I learned today; people having chemo with Taxol do not always lose their hair. I may have jumped the gun a bit. LOL! No worries. I rock the bald! 

Here are pics of my bow and the sunglasses!