Time to get a real job

At least that’s what George Thorogood says. Shannon and I got haircuts shaved our heads Friday night. She started losing hair on Thursday before her second round of chemo, and she decided better to get it over with than sitting around for it to fall out gradually. She’s a real trooper. I think our friend Don, who has his own barber chair and clippers, who did the shaving was taking it harder than she was. And she looks pretty darn good bald, if I must say. The added benefit is her hair won’t tickle my nose anymore while we’re sleeping.

Photo gallery of Shannon and Chris going bald. (May not work in all browsers.)

Shannon does have a wig to help when she’s out in public. Carter has one, too. I stepped up and shaved my hair, too, but I don’t have a clown wig (yet). It’s the second time this year, after the 2010 St. Baldrick’s event last March and my third overall. My hair grows faster than humanly possible, so it should be a respectable length for my fourth bald adventure in 2011. We both had fun, and even channeled our inner Mr. T.

In the end, it wasn’t so bad. Carter even came out unscathed and went right to Mommy. He got to play with a friend while Mommy and Daddy were getting shaved. The stubble is a bit too much for him, so he doesn’t much like giving kisses on the head yet, and he may think twice before he lets Don cut his hair again.

I’m so proud of Shannon. She always says how she isn’t vain, and the appearances don’t matter to her as long as she has a fighting chance to beat this thing. But part of me knows that part of her does care, so it’s great that she can overcome it and put a positive spin on things.

This weekend, we are all smiles. There has been no repeat emergency room visit like with her first chemotherapy round, and hardly any nausea at all. So, if losing our hair is our biggest challenge right now, we are already coming out ahead in this game.

Thanks for the support you have given us. Don’t forget to check out the full gallery of photos from the shaving party, and check out the video below.