You doubtless know that among the frequent side-effects of chemotherapy is complete hair loss, since chemo indiscriminately kills all rapidly-dividing cells, not merely cancer cells. A child undergoing chemo who is completely bald can feel extremely embarrassed. And the “mark of shame” of a shaved head — which was a common punishment imposed on women who consorted with German troops in Allied countries after the countries were liberated — dates back to the Middle Ages and continues in some countries today.
One of the great things about cancer camps such as Camp Ta-Kum-Ta, to which I have returned for the ninth time, is that virtually every child has experienced baldness, so there is literally no shame associated with a hairless head. One of my many fond memories dates back to several years ago, when three teenage girls came to camp for the first time. All three were still bald, and one arrived wearing a wig and the other two wore caps to cover their heads. I remember thinking that the head-coverings wouldn’t last very long. And I was right. Within an hour (maybe two), the wig and the caps were gone, and the girls walked around camp with no reluctance about exposing their bald heads.
The campers (and the vast majority of the staff) do not know that I am going to get my shaved tomorrow at lunch. And, to be perfectly honest, this is not something I particularly relish doing. I happen to have a pretty good head of hair and it isn’t particularly grey, despite my advancing years.
But kids don’t have a choice. They don’t choose to be diagnosed with cancer, they don’t choose to undergo chemo, they don’t choose to lose their hair. I have a choice.
And tomorrow, I will exercise that choice.
Besides, it’s too late to back out now.