I'm Too Sexy For My Hair!

Today reminded me of a very unique and fantastic experience which ironically enough has to do with my hair. I have a fantastic salon; Scizzors in Shrewsbury MA. I have been going there for seven years. I originally found out about them because I worked for Worcester Foothills Theatre Co. and they took care of all the hair needs for our actors/actresses that were in our shows.

I will never forget my first experience going there. You walk in the door and you are greeted with smiles and this overwhelming feeling of warmth. They really are focused on pampering, they take your coat, offer you something to drink (which also includes beer or wine, not just water or coffee). Once you are all set someone comes and brings your over for your shampoo. I have to say that this is one of my favorite things about Scizzors. All the employees are willing to help everyone out. Often it is a different employee washing your hair than your regular stylist. This is great because you get to know more of the staff.

But my absolute favorite thing about the whole experience is their infamous scalp massage. I swear most people would go sooner than they have to just to get that done. As soon as they start you just melt. Then they shampoo/condition your hair and set you up at your station. I have had multiple stylists over the years but they have all been great. Always listened to what I wanted or helped guide me through my hair woes. I would definitely say they have made me a long time customer for good reason.

Aside from their normal customer treatment I also have a very unique story that Scizzors is a huge part of. I am currently a 3 year lymphoma survivor. I was first diagnosed in August 2010. One of the first things my oncologist explained to me was that I was going to lose my hair. This is what I looked like right before my diagnosis...

Notice that my hair was fairly long and STRAIGHT. After my diagnosis and deciding on my treatment options I had my first round of chemo. I decided there was no way I was going to be able to handle my hair falling out if I left it the way it was. I called and made an appointment with Rebecca; my stylist; to have it all cut off. That was exactly three years ago today, August 24th, 2010!

It wasn't until I got there that I told them why I was cutting off my hair. They were 100% supportive about the whole thing. Rebecca even said, "Well even though it's going to fall out I'm going to make you look great until it does." She helped with another huge thing I wanted to do which was donate my hair to locks of love. I figured if it is getting cut off and going to fall out anyway it should go towards a worthy cause. They took care of it all and she was right I left there looking amazing even though it was a huge difference!

I was going through treatment for some time after that and once I stopped it took a very long time (in my world anyway) to even get a little bit of hair back.

This was about 2 months after my last treatment.

It was close to a year before I was back at Scizzors. I was unsure of what to do with my hair at this point. It was real short, fuzzy, wavy, just plain odd. I actually emailed them to find out if they would be willing to do a consult with me just because I had no idea what to do with this new hair of mine but it was still too short to really cut. I was welcomed with open arms. John who is the owner of salon emailed me back and offered for me to come in before they opened or after they closed if I wanted privacy. He explained that they helped other people who had been through chemo so they knew what to expect. I actually went in to see them the very same day. He explained that my hair was two textures and that the soft baby like hair would have to be cut off. Then it would start to grow more and be easier to manage.

That was the beginning of my new hair journey. John and everyone else at Scizzors has been with me every step of the way since. That was 2 years ago and today I am finally at a place where I am ok; maybe even happy with the way my hair is now. It is just about to the length it was before treatment only now it is really CURLY!!! The curl has grown on me, for at least a year and half I hated that it was curly and hoped it would return to the way it was.

John has always been nothing but supportive, informative, and encouraging reminding every time I have come in, "look it's gotten longer!" And "I know you don't even have to say it we're just trimming it." My favorite thing was that John told me the back of your hair grows faster than the top so he always made sure I didn’t develop a mullet. That would have been bad all around! He also knows to blow dry my hair straight, and a great job he does every time including my last visit to Scizzors.

There will be a time soon where I will be ok with or need to do something different to my hair and you better believe it will all be done at Scizzors! I couldn't recommend them any higher than I already do. Take my word for it you will love everything about it! There is good reason they have been in business for 29 years!

But that brings me to the most exciting announcement. My friend Sara and I have joined Team In Training through the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. We will be running the Tufts 10K on Columbus Day but we also need to raise money to do so. John and Scizzors has offered to work with us by having a fundraising event! We are planning it for sometime in September but the idea will a glamor night! Come to the salon, get your hair done, make up done, have some food & drink, partake in some fantastic raffles and help us raise money to hopefully get one step closer to curing blood cancer!! 

As an added bonus if we reach our goal that night I am going to shave my head and donate all my hair yet again! But this time it is my choice to loose all me hair!! So be sure to stay tuned for all the details on when and how to get tickets. In the mean time feel free to share this blog post or my Team In Training page.

HAWMC Day 6: Dear Lymphoma!

Dear Lymphoma,

Where do I even begin? For longer than I would have ever wanted you derailed my entire life. To some extent you still do but in a different way.

When you finally reared your ugly head I was terrified! Although there are sure fire ways to get rid of you nothing is ever 100%! You came in and setup shop right on my spine. Although then again maybe that was just the comfy spot that you found and decided you liked because I actually have no idea where you came from. I can however guess based on all the marks you left all over my body.  But there you sat on my spine being your happy little self and just started to spread. You put my through excruciating pain for months trying to take up even more room.

Then I got the news of just how much you wanted to stay and what it would take to get rid of you. Aside from the pain that was the worst part. I was going to loose not only the hair on my head but all of my hair...eyebrows, eyelashes and nose hair included. I was going to be sick, feel tired, have mouth sores, things were going to taste different if I was even going to be able to eat them, I was going to be tired, I was going to be more vulnerable to other infections/diseases. That wasn't even the worst part I was going to have to put my entire life as I knew it on hold to deal with you with the possibility of this lovely experience affecting my furture of having children.

I was 27 years old! recently married and although I may not have been the best at taking care of myself I certainly never expected to see you!

I did in fact loose all my hair, I was SO tired all the time but that didn't really matter because the treatment took away my ability to be around other people or do anything so I guess being tired made it easier to miss out on a lot of things. The one thing that had always made me feel better; food; didn't even have the comfort it normally did because all the medication to get rid of you changed the way things tasted. But I was lucky enough to have mild side effects of nausea and mouth sores which was a plus and I never did get any other infections or illnesses so that way I was able to keep my treatment right on track.

Oh yea and I forgot to mention my ABSOLUTE least favorite thing about you setting up shop on my spine the intrathecal chemotherapy. So I have this massive lymphoma tumor on my spine and now I have to get medication injected directly into my spine to make sure you don't spread your way into there...UGH!!

BUT despite all that I made it through and you my dear where forced out and completely gone by the time this was all done and you have not returned!

However there is some good that came from your impromptu visit I have started taking better care of myself, I have learned a lot more about myself too. That there are so many things that I can do that I thought I never could, that there are amazing people out there that are kind and nice and want nothing more than to help mankind (I happen to be one of those people as well), but certainly not last that I have to accept what happens, figure out a plan to change it for the better, work hard to accomplish that plan and then constantly move forward in life!

You were and will always be an unwelcome guest in my life. You came to be way too early but you taught a whole lot too. I just hope that we never meet again!

-Alyson