Still Riding the Silver Hair Train!

It has been nearly a year since I made the decision to throw in the towel, or should I say hair dye? This decision was actually part of the natural progression of how my life has been altered by cancer.

You see, Sprycel, the TKI (oral chemo) that I ingest daily, has a sneaky way of removing not only the disease from my body but the pigment from my skin and hair, as well! Last year, I noticed a strip of completely white hair; on the top of my head. For days, I continued to stare at that strip; it did not go away and it continued to grow. The strip got wider and wider and eventually became a stripe; right down the middle, of the top of my head.

The logical thing to do, would have been to grab a box of hair dye and get busy, but at some point, I decided to take the words of my oncologist seriously; "Michele, you do have cancer, do you really want to keep putting chemicals on your head?" and stop dyeing my hair. I went cold turkey, threw caution to the wind, and decided that there really isn't a vain bone in my body!

In the beginning, my hair looked horrendous and I am sure that many people whispered under their breath; but do you want to hear the most encouraging thing of all? Well, let me tell you, I was amazed and strengthened by all of the supporting comments from my friends and complete strangers. I was approached by so many people, men, and women; they not only encouraged me, but they congratulated me for making such a brave choice.

The women were in awe and told me that I inspired them to jump on the silver hair train and the men told me that they loved my "new" look.  I expected questions from the women, but the positive comments from the men were what shocked me the most; of course, I am at an age where many of those men already have awesome white hair or no hair at all, so I guess I should not be surprised; they said they actually were preferred a natural-looking "woman"! Hahaha

The next surprise came from all the young gals that are actually dyeing their hair to look like mine; they actually ask me "where" I got my hair done. I guess that the "Granny Hair" look is in! It seems that I have chosen the opportune time to take the plunge; and I don't even have to spend hundreds of dollars to get the new look.

So, for all of you that have been wondering just how far along I have come on my journey, here are a few pictures and a few words of wisdom; the most difficult part of this journey was the decision. Once the decision was made, and I was committed, the rest was easy.

I found that the support of doing something out of the ordinary helps to encourage and strengthen you and that the freedom your soul feels from following through on a less than popular choice, is uplifting.
I love the fact that my hair is healthy and I no longer have the burden of dying my hair. I am still in the "can't wait to see what it looks like in the end" stage, but then I must say that accepting this major change in my appearance has been freeing.

I want to thank every single person that has cheered me on; your words were encouraging and heartfelt.

Almost a year ago!

FaceBook: CML: A Place for Hope and Humor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cmlmichele
Email: CMLMichele59@gmail.com

#chronicillness #cancer #chronicmyelogenousleukemia #coronavirus #leukemia #lovemylife #cml #selfisolation #quarantine #grateful #thrivingwithleukemia #livingwithcancer #isolation #coronavirus #coronavisiting