Bold, Bald and Beautiful for Love

“THE HAIR,” said Martin Luther “is the richest ornament of women. To shave one’s head, therefore, is to display an aggressive resistance of the norm.” Many have done it …

Demi Moore in 1997 when she buzzed her hair down to her scalp in the action film, G I Jane, Anne Hathaway, Natalie Portman and closer to home, Charlize Theron.

Theron even admitted that shaving her head was the most ‘freeing thing’ she’s ever done.

For Arlene Lyndille Abrahams from Walvis Bay, shaving her head is about more than ‘just freedom’. It is about love and compassion … an expression of courage, power and vulnerability.

I had no intention whatsoever to cover the Cancer Association of Namibia’s Fashion Show held by nmh Artistry recently. I simply thought of it as a girls night out, which would give me a chance to dress up a bit in this rather quiet town of ours. However, the moment Arlene Lyndille Abrahams appeared, I was inspired.

It was during the last part of the show when the most exquisite bridal creations by local designer Petrus Laubscher were modelled that it happened. She started her catwalk in a dazzling tight-fitting off-white garment decorated with flowers in different shades of pink and yellow, her long, waving hair in the same colours. And then … right in the middle of her parade with all eyes on her, in one movement, she dropped the ‘hair’ and there she was … Brave, bald and beautiful.

In the split seconds that followed, I was – together with the rest of the audience – on my feet, applauding, cheering and saluting this young girl whom I thought was a cancer survivor.

“The decision to shave off my hair wasn’t an easy one. It was all about honouring my pledge after my mom was diagnosed with cervical cancer last year. I promised that if she starts losing her hair after the chemo and radiation therapy, I’ll shave off all of my hair, too …”

She tells me that her mom, Glenda Ochs, a 57-year-old teacher from Narraville, Walvis Bay never really felt any excruciating pain and believes that having dealt with this disease has left the whole family closer and more spiritual.

“Our relationship is very close and I went through every session of chemotherapy with her … My mom is also very lucky to have ‘soldiers’ as sisters who are battling this disease with her. They refuse to let her fight it alone … Cancer has made all of us so much more appreciative of life.”

Asked how friends, colleagues and acquaintances reacted to her act of solidarity, Abrahams says everyone close to her supported her in her decision. Going into public spaces is another story. She laughs when she recalls how all eyes are on her when she enters a restaurant or supermarket.

“It’s like they think I have cancer. That reaction shows me that there is still a huge stigma attached to the illness and increasing awareness in our community is of utmost importance.”

Her family deems it essential to take each day as it comes and to keep it as real as possible. “We do have our sad moments … Nothing is guaranteed. We don’t know how long we’ll have each other, so we’ve decided to live in the present … it’s our greatest gift,” says the girl who is only planning to grow her hair back when her mom’s hair starts to grow as well.

Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer, in women under 45, after breast cancer. Regular Pap smears are the most effective way of detecting cervical abnormalities, which could be the early signs of cervical cancer. Cervical abnormalities, when detected, can be treated quickly, easily and often successfully.

Cervical cancer develops in the cervix – the low, narrow neck of the uterus that opens into the vagina. Every two minutes a woman dies of cervical cancer worldwide. The common virus, HPV is the main cause of cervical cancer and is transmitted through sexual intercourse and intimate skin-to-skin contact. An infection rarely shows symptoms.