Websites, books and nurses never told me
About notable hair loss you cannot see
You’re given a wig on the NHS
Yet losing your pubes is the real stress
Such strong, wiry hair you can overcome
Tug them gently downwards - soon they succumb
Your underarm hair simply disappears
Without scrubbing, shaving or using shears
Your legs become smooth as a baby’s bum
Eyebrows and lashes fall out - and then some!
Yet first to grow back is upper hair lip
Why is this look so tragically unhip?
There is so much that the cancer leaflets and online advice carefully fail to mention. Curious things sometimes happen. For example, I lost half my eyelashes on one eyelid.
September 2023 is Blood Cancer Awareness Month. It is also Child Cancer Awareness Month. Every day 10 children in the UK are diagnosed with cancer. Of those lucky enough to survive, many will have long-term side-effects that may significantly impact their lives forever.
I am posting one poem per day to recognise this and raise money for the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust. This charity provides sailing and other outdoor adventures for children and young people aged 8-24 who have been treated for cancer. But it’s more than that. There’s a package of support around this including siblings, return trips, volunteering opportunities and so on. The Trust also works hard to ensure their work is environmentally sustainable. You can make a donation HERE!
Thank you my dear friend, you made me laugh out loud, irreverently so as the subject is not a laughing matter. Never lose that wicked sense of humour special young lady ❤️💚💕
An uncomfortable and intimate subject tackled with humour! I like the slightly unlikely rhymes (bum/ then some; lip/ unhip; NHS /stress) and informal language. 😊