Solidarity haircut

A friend was diagnosed last week with breast cancer. Stage 3.

Last year she went for a mammogram which picked up benign cysts in her left breast. Two weeks ago she went for a biopsy after feeling swollen lymph nodes. Both the lymph nodes and cysts were declared malignant.

Last year I went for a mammogram to check out a lump. They diagnosed dense tissue and picked up two cysts.

We're a similar age. We're both sporty. We both don't have children.

She could be me.

Cancer doesn't discriminate. Instead of picking out animal-and-child abusers, murders and others with malicious intent, cancer seems to prey all to often on the better people of society. Special people. Friends and family.

Last week my friend, who has had long hair, said that she was going to chop off her hair, going for a pixie cut, to preempt chemo hairloss. I said I'd go with her and that I'd try a pixie cut too. Solidarity haircut.

She was in Jo'burg this week so she went to a hairdresser there on Tuesday. She looks amazing - transformed - and she has proclaimed that, "I should have done this years ago".

I went on Wednesday, here in Parys, and snip-snip-snip chopped my hair short. Probably the shortest that it has been for 20 years - since I first went from very long to very short. And I love it too.

Her second batch of results from tests and scans came back today. The good news is there is no sign of spread of cancer to lungs, abdomen or right breast. She waits now for medical aid approval and the chemo protocol from her oncologist.

None of us are immune.