BB Blog

"I wanted a wedding not a funeral': Bride who was diagnosed with breast cancer just a WEEK before her big day kept it a secret from guests because she 'didn't want their pity" says Charlotte Drake, 34 from Oxfordshire. 

She pushed for referrals after being told it was just a cyst and is now urging all women to check their breasts. As do I of course.

'A  woman who was diagnosed with cancer just days before her wedding has told how she and her fiancé came to the decision to keep her condition a secret and go through with their ceremony.

Charlotte was diagnosed with breast cancer after discovering a lump while checking her breast while lying in bed. 

The brand manager, who had dreamed of being a wife and mother since the age of ten, decided to go through with her nuptials to Luke Drake, now 32, in May 2014 because she wanted to have 'a wedding, not a funeral'. 

Despite having no family history of the disease, Charlotte was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer that could have killed her within two years.'

If anything my friend Lisa's example has set (please see previous blog post) is that if you want, despite a scary Cancer diagnosis, you can still look stylish during chemotherapy treatments.

Chemotherapy varies between people, but will invariably make you at the least feel tired. I, unfortunately, was on the other end of the scale and suffered severely with sickness and fatigue. I looked rather shockingly ill on the days receiving and post chemo infusion. I was bloated from steroids and lost all my hair. But in my 3 weekly drugs cycle I had one 'good week' where I felt better, stronger and wanted to take back some of my life and spend time with my family and friends not feeling and looking like a cancer patient. I struggled to find decent headwear as all of the products available were for older women and as a younger woman, I still wanted to look stylish and fashionable (hence the idea for Bold Beanies). 

My Bold Beanies have been specifically designed with style and comfort in mind, so you can get on with your day and feel confident. I have recently added a range of plain and Liberty head scarves and wraps to the headwear collection, offering more choice for ladies of all ages with hair loss medical or non-medical Alopecia. 

Our range of beautiful soft cotton plain colours and Liberty Art Fabric headwear is so extensive it will match any style, occasion and outfit... you're bound to find something to co-ordinate. The thin stretchy cotton material has 4 way stretch making it easy to put on, tie and layer up if needed. The high-quality fabric is breathable and so keeps the sensitive head at an even temperature. 

So there's no need to compromise on style or loose your identity... I like to call it 'Chemo Chic'.

http://positiveoutlooksblog.com/dear-every-cancer-patient-i-ever-took-care-of-im-sorry-i-didnt-get-it/

I love this article. Without wanting to dismiss anyone’s emotions who has been a carer or professional... Unless you’ve got through it yourself it’s really hard to ‘get it’.

So happy to see my friend Lisa getting the recognition she deserves for her amazing inspirational attitude to her challenges. A women of such dignity, caring, style and strength, I'm so proud to know her.  

"I dress for chemo like I'm on a night out" says Mother-of-four, 39, who found out she had incurable cancer two weeks before birth of her 'miracle' fourth child, says feeling glamorous helps her cope with gruelling treatment.

"A mother-of-four who was told her breast cancer had returned and become incurable just two weeks before the birth of her fourth child has revealed how she always 'glams up' for chemotherapy sessions. 

Nurses treating personal trainer Lisa Fry, 39, from Cheltenham have dubbed her the 'most glamorous patient' because she always arrives on the ward in heels and wearing her glad rags. 

Lisa already has three sons, Charlie, 14, Marley, 12, and Woody with husband Wayne, and Jagger, her fourth, was born on March 25, 2018. 

At 31, Lisa was breastfeeding her third son, Woody, ten, in 2011 when she found a lump in her left breast and was later diagnosed with stage three aggressive breast cancer."

The Lisa Bold Beanie cancer hair loss hat is named after my animal print loving friend: 

https://www.boldbeanies.com/products/the-lisa-bold-beanies-hat

Read the entire article in the Daily Mail here:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-6768549/Mother-incurable-cancer-reveals-dresses-chemo.html?fbclid=IwAR06BAkRSz-ODGXQW3JXuFQXrjPgo0VyAkNcjhmMX9OMLdH2l4mbfEzQXhc

Whilst everyone is different, there are some common basics to hair loss with chemotherapy treatments for cancer, especially the drugs for Breast Cancer. 

The healthy cells in the hair follicles that support hair growth can be affected by chemotherapy treatment.  As a result, people with cancer who are given chemotherapy may lose the hair on their heads, eyelashes, eyebrows, and elsewhere on the body.

When hair loss occurs, it usually starts within 2 weeks of treatment and continues to get worse for 1-2 months. In my case I had my first round of chemo and it was just starting to fall out as I had my second infusion 3 weeks later. I had already shaved my head in preparation. Despite my terrible memory, its always going to be a pretty distinctive as it was my youngest daughters 1st birthday. 

Does it hurt when your hair falls out? Well my personal answer to that is yes. Its the kind of hair pain you get when your hair was tied back to tightly as a child. 

Similarly, a person's hair does not start to grow back immediately after their last chemotherapy treatment. The delay is due to chemotherapy drugs taking time to leave the body and to stop attacking healthy dividing cells.

Most people receiving chemotherapy will begin seeing a limited amount of thin, fuzzy hair a few weeks after their last treatment. Real hair starts to grow properly within a month or two of the last treatment. This was certainly true for me.

A small fraction of people who are given chemotherapy may never regrow their hair. Specific drugs increase the risk of permanent hair loss. The Breast Cancer drug Docetaxel, which is sold under the brand name Taxotere, has been known to cause permanent hair loss in some people. I had this drug, but my hair has grown back.

Knowing a little bit about hair growth can help a person understand hair regrowth after chemotherapy.  All hair goes through periods of rest, during which it does not grow. Furthermore, when the hair hits a certain length or when it is pulled, it falls out. So the scalp is always shedding some hair.

This basic timeline indicates what happens after chemotherapy: