Years ago my husband, Louis, at 36, discovered he had cancer.
It was a terrifying time. Long story very short, he (we) survived a grapefruit sized malignant tumour and life carried on. A life in which we are mindful and thankful. A life which included the birth of two more kids!
I have often considered Chloé to be Louis' "confirmation of life" baby. She arrived within a year after he was treated and we got the final all-clear.
To me it is a very fitting story that over the past year Chloé has been growing out her hair. All of our kids have grown up with the knowledge of Louis' illness and the Moe, in particular, was taken with the idea of growing out her hair and donating it to those who lose theirs as a reaction to chemotherapy.
We went to Euphoria to have her hair cut last week. Nathalie, the owner, has been cutting the girls hair, and mine, for the last four years. We were trying to remember when Chloé decided to focus on her project and figure she hasn't had her hair cut in about a year.
Once Natalie trimmed the ends 9.5" came off!
The whole process started with a thorough wash and condition. Isn't that the nicest feeling in the world, having your hair washed by someone else?
Time to trim the ends and tidy things up a bit. WOW. That is a lot of hair. Not just long, but thick, thick, THICK!
Before the official cut all the hair was dried.
A rubber band was tied to the top and the bottom and the cutting ... and cutting ... and cutting began! Very thick stuff.
And there it is, one fat pony tail. Look at that smile!
And there she is, with her new hairdo! Doesn't she look adorable? Natalie warned her not to whip her head around too much - all that weight off she might get whiplash!
Many thanks to Natalie who was very careful and precise with the cut. Even more thanks for the unexpected gift of the haircut itself. Once we were done, we went to pay and Natalie turned us down announcing that it was her donation to the cause. So sweet. And generous.
If you're local, be sure to treat yourself to a cut:
Euphoria Hair Salon
2307 Lakeshore Rd W., Bronte
(905) 827-0650
The next morning the ponytail, first in a zippy then a thick mailing envelope, was delivered to the post office and sent off to Pantene Beautiful Lengths program for processing. Unfortunately that is the last we'll see of the hair. We don't know where or with whom it ends up. Chloé is content to know she did her part in helping out someone going through a difficult process. (I really hope that someday one of those shows on the Discovery Channel, the one my kids are so addicted to, will show what happens with the donated hair.)
We are all so very proud of her.
I'm also very happy to have her hair at a far more manageable length!
I think Chloé is happy with the cut too :)
