Everybody who was knowledgeable of the condition said it would happen. 18 to 21 days out of the first chemotherapy treatment, Betty’s hair would began to fall out. So we talked about it. How to handle it. We heard of a woman on chemo who went to her daughter’s wedding with a full head of hair and was nearly bald by the time of the reception. We didn’t have any weddings planned but it would still be awkward to go to like Dairy Queen fully haired and be slick by the time you got to the dilly bar for desert. So, we, together, decided that when Betty’s hair began to fall out, that I would shave her head and that would be that. Well, not many days ago, she woke up and her pillow was pretty well covered in hair. Not much, but more than should be there. Almost as if the dog had taken a nap in the bed. She looked at me and said “It’s time.” I said, “Well, let’s not rush into this. Maybe you’re just shedding. I’m sure people do that.” She said, “It’s winter time and nobody and nothing sheds in the winter time.” She went to the mirror and grabbed a hand full of hair and it came out. No pulling or tugging. It just came out. I said, “Well maybe that’s just the weak hair. Maybe you’ve got some rebel hair that refuses to submit to peer pressure. My Uncle Robert has some of that stubborn hair. It’s been fighting the good fight for years and at least 10 or 12 of them are still hanging in there!” I continued my argument for a while and she agreed to wait another day. The following morning there was hair everywhere. It was time. I had already bought a new electric trimmer and was ready for the process, or so I thought. I charged my old trimmer, in case it would do the job and I got the beach towel with the Smurfs on it. I got everything ready physically, but my mind got locked up somehow. The thought of cutting that beautiful hair just couldn’t process in my head. She had already lost so much, I just didn’t want to be the one who took more away from her. I left that afternoon for a concert and while I was gone, her beautician lady from town shaved her head. She called me when I was on my way home that night. “It’s done,” she said. I asked her, “Well, do you look like Uncle Robert?” (Not that my Uncle Robert is a bad looking guy, actually he’s quite a handsome man, but he’s just not the “looker” that Betty is.) ((If your’re reading this, I still love ya unk!)) Betty said that she looked more like the bald chick on Star Trek. I said, “You mean Lt. IIia on the Enterprise?” She said, “Yes, that’s the one. How did you remember her name?” “Cause she was pretty!” I said. “And Lt. IIia looked nothing like my Uncle Robert!!! Yeah!!!”
Betty looks great, and is doing well. Her blood counts have been as low as 400, but they are up to over 9000 when it’s time to take the hard chemo again. Yesterday was one of those days. She sat through a 4 hour iv drip with the really mean stuff. She feels good today but by tomorrow, she usually gets quite weary. I’ll be gone for much of this week, pray for her and ask God to take care of her in my absence. Thank you all for your help and prayers. We are blessed.