Stories

Here you can read personal stories from individuals who are donating/have donated their hair, or have been impacted by cancer.

If you would like to share your story below, please contact us :)

Ruth Lavery

Cancer Survivor

At the age of 42, when my children were just 6 and 8 years old, I heard the words you never want to hear - "you have breast cancer". I remember shaking in the doctor's chair, unable to get up, completely devastated by the news. Would I survive? Would my children grow up without their mother? Later I would find out that I had an aggressive form of breast cancer, known as triple-negative breast cancer. To fight the cancer, I had four months of chemotherapy at Credit Valley Hospital followed by four surgeries over a one year period. 

Losing your hair is one of tthe most devastating effects of chemotherapy. Before my first treatment, I purchased a beautiful, long haired wig. When I wore the wig, I could go out in public and feel normal and confident and avoid the glares from others, which was wonderful. A wig truly helps with the emotional aspect of cancer treatment.

I'm now a 6 year cancer survivor and I'm happy to support Locks for Cancer!

Jennifer Wu

Graphic Designer

When you tell kids about cancer on Terry Fox day, most really can't connect to it if they don't personally know anyone who's been affected by cancer. I was one of those kids. I never knew who I was running for, and I didn't understand the impact cancer had on the people around us, because no one around me was affected by cancer. If there was, it was a great grandparent that I've never heard of, or a distant uncle or aunt that I've never heard of. It wasn't until last year, I saw the impact of cancer. I still have a picture of her son, only 2 years old back then and he had such a bright smile. He was dancing around in our living room. I always found his mother a bit annoying, and now I instantly regret it. Life is strange in many ways, one of them being how you never know when your time could be running out. When I took that photo, or when I held him in my arms a few weeks after he was born, I had no idea that a few months later, his mom would leave us and his 2 other siblings. She left so quickly too... From the diagnosis to her passing, it was probably only about 2 months. When I heard my parents' cries from the nearby room, I knew that her time had ended, and I couldn't help but cry as well. We all have a mother. I can't imagine what I would do if my mom passed away, yet now I know three children who have lost their mother. All three of them were younger than my brother and I. I remember how they used to fool around a lot, and how we used to play in their basement. I remember how my mom told me that their mom had a wish before she passed away... She wished I could be a big sister to her only daughter, who usually kept her feelings to herself. She wished I could draw with her daughter, that I could guide her. And I say this with so much regret and shame, that I haven't had the guts to go to their house. I can't imagine what it'd be like to face their children, who probably have instantly grown up. I can't imagine what it's like to grow up without a mother by your side, without a shoulder to cry on, without a companion, without mother... On a final note, cancer awareness needs to change. While it's great to raise money for research, I find that we're not making people aware of what exactly leads to cancer. Out of all the people I know who have been affected by cancer, they're wonderful people with terrible living habits. They sleep at 2 am every night, they have an unhealthy diet, they smoke, they drink etc. They say they're enjoying life, and no matter how much people remind them, it's really no use until they learn it the hard way. Once you're in that hospital bed, that's when you think back and you tell yourself, "maybe I should have listened" or "maybe I should have exercised more", "maybe I should have slept properly", "maybe... maybe if I took better care of myself, I wouldn't be here right now". How you take care of yourself determines where you end up. We shouldn't be only relying on cancer treatment. Let's take care of ourselves.