Two years ago, after a haircut that could have seen me donate 10 inches of hair to Locks of Love in honour of my girlfriends that were diagnosed with Breast Cancer, I decided that I would continue to grow out my hair with minimal trims until I had enough to donate.
This summer as my hair was long and flowy I knew that I had reached the desired length. I really enjoyed my long hair this year, but I was starting to feel like I needed a bit of style back. With Fall approaching, I knew it was time to just do it. Even though I intended to cut my hair off it is still a hard thing to do when you have been living with it for two years.
I tried to get an appointment for my hair at two of my usual salons but they were both booked up. Recently on Twitter, I was hearing a lot about a salon down on Dalhousie called Texture. Since I knew one of the ladies that had her hair done and loved it, I figured it was a pretty safe place to go for my cut.
In addition one on my photographer colleagues, Vanessa Dewson, offered to come down and capture my hair cut for me. So not only did I cut my hair, but I have fabulous photos of the whole process. Since I am the one behind the lens most of the time, it was a bit nerve wracking for me to be in front. I know why I am behind the camera most of the time, but I sucked it up for this special day.
Meet Chelsea, Chelsea was my stylist. We had some great conversation where we shared stories of tattoos and no tattoos, thresholds of pain and awesome movies that actually mean something. Chelsea was fabulous and funky and I really enjoyed sharing this time with her.
And then there was the cutting. Chelsea asked me my story, why I was donating my hair. Then she combed and measured my hair. I talked about the style I was hoping to get back and how I wouldn’t be doing this again soon, but it was a fun thing to do. We divided my hair into two braids to get as much as we could into the donation and she was off with her scissors. I didn’t shed a tear, which was amazing. Others in the salon wanted to watch the cut and what was going on which was really touching.
My braids measure 12 inches, which means I was able to donate a good two inches more than I had originally anticipated. I know that my small donation will only be able to make a third, if even, of a wig. But, if I can share my hair with someone so that they can feel great at a time when they might feel at their worst, then my job is done. I know that both of my girlfriends looked fabulous in their wigs and it gave them some freedom to feel normal at a time when they felt anything but. It is for them that I did this, it is both of them that inspired me and continue to inspire me.
With this under my belt, it is time once again to get back to training. I will be once again running the CIBC run for the Cure on October 3rd. But, this year I will be running with a team, and in this team are my two girlfriends who inspired me to run in the first place. If you would like to sponsor me and my run please do. My hope is that one day we won’t need to run, we won’t need to donate hair, we won’t need to do all these things because there will be a Cure.
A huge thank you to Vanessa for taking such fabulous photos. She did an awesome job and I am so thankful that she captured this day for me.
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You look amazing! I haven’t had a haircut in 2 years either and plan to donate when I’m ready to cut. It’s a big step though!!
Really lovely post! Breast cancer has affected my family and friends as well. I lost my mother-in-law to it less than 2 years ago and have a friend starting treatments tomorrow. It was my absolute pleasure to help you capture this special event and yes, every little bit helps! Good luck with raising funds and the run!
Oh, and yes, Chelsea was awesome! I must go see her soon!
love it! And great of you to fit in a plug for the run. 🙂 You look great and you’re such a sweetheart, Anna. I’m proud to be your friend.
Looks amazing Anna! Good for you!
Anna you look beautiful! Wow and what a great act of love for your friends!!
Wow, your hair was long! I always wanted to do this but my hair reaches a certain length and then quits growing and it’s not quite long enough.
I love your new haircut but I love more that you did this! Inspiring!
PS you are looking fantastic – those are great jeans! *whistles*
Thanks for sharing 🙂 You looked fantastic before and after…loved your long hair (mine has never been long) and the fall ‘do’. See you at the Run for the Cure!
You look awesome Anna! Great photos too Vanessa. Thanks for doing both the hair donation and the Run for this cause. I’m the daughter of a 35+ year survivor and feel so storngly about supporting this cause. Well done!
So proud to have been a part of this with you ladies! You were an inspiration to everyone in the shop! Can’t wait to do run for the cure with you! Drop by again soon, and call if you need anything 613.241.8977 xoxo
Lookit you and your cute new haircut! I love it. And how great that you had the patience to grow it long enough so you could donate! I don’t think I would have that patience. I barely had enough patience to let it grow for six months while Troy was gone, and cut it all off two months after he got home. 🙂
(On a side note, I read “Dalhousie” and got a little thrill because I totally know where that is! I’m such a dork.)
You look so fabulous!! Thanks so much for this post because I have been thinking about donating my hair. I have been growing it out and plan to keep growing it until it is long enough to donate. Now I know who to call.
You look amazing! Inspirational! You make me want to cut mine all off! 🙂
Love your new look and it is amazing that you donated your hair TWICE. Way to go Anna!
You look so beautiful, the cut and style is so amazing! What a wonderful thing to do, and for such an amazing cause. A fantastic story 🙂 I hope to see you at the run this year too!
This is a really lovely way to document your experience. Congratulations!
Wow! Nice haircut, Anna!