Turning Heads: Portraits of Women Bald From Chemotherapy
Written by admin2 on January 22nd, 2009Filed under: Themes, Tumour Humour, Art Gallery, Irked Videos, Interviews, Books & Book Reviews
In Jackson Hunsicker’s own words:
I don’t know how we got here or who is to blame. And, I don’t know how to get out of it, but women today are never satisfied with the way they look.
Either we think we’re too tall, too thin, too flabby or fat. If our hair is curly, we want it straight. If it is straight, we want it curly. We’re constantly searching for ways to improve. No one looks in the mirror and says, Wow, you couldn’t be any better looking.
If that’s how we feel about ourselves when we’re well, what happens when we’re sick? What happens when we get cancer and lose our hair while undergoing aggressive treatment?
It can be devastating.
When I was diagnosed with Stage Two breast cancer, my initial reaction wasn’t, Oh my God, I have cancer, I might die; it was, Oh my God, I have cancer, I’m going to lose my hair and then I’ll be walking around looking like one of those people.
According to the American Cancer Society, 692,000 women get some form of cancer each year. A majority of them will lose their hair while undergoing treatment. As baby boomers age, that number will grow. Think of it. Hundreds of thousands of women a year will have to go through this much-dreaded physical transformation and have their self image stripped from them.
In a perfect world, we shouldn’t feel ashamed of the way we look while fighting cancer; we shouldn’t want to hide. We should feel like who we are: beautiful in a different way and more beautiful than ever. But this world isn’t perfect. How we currently perceive the disease, how we shrink away from it, requires an attitude adjustment—for the patient, for the people who love that patient, and for the rest of us.
And it’s not going to be as hard as you think. All you have to do is look at these pictures and think about what they mean and, inch by inch, you will help change the world with us.
Jackson Hunsicker wrote “Turning Heads” to empower women with cancer. A portion of the books’ proceeds benefit the American Association for Cancer Research.
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Portrait of Nancy Pitchford age 57, Founder of Heads Up—Horseback Therapy for special needs children
“I’ve studied about all the religions and my Native American blood just about keeps popping out of me. I’m very close to the land, the animals—that whole philosophy. I lead my meditations with those kinds of images.
I was always the giver. It’s easy for me to give, hard for me to receive. I was always trained and raised that if you do anything for yourself—it’s selfish. But going through cancer treatment I realized I was outwardly doing more for others than for me and I needed to take part of that time for me; between me and God: me and the angels, and let them help me.”
(Photo by Janet Van Ham)
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Portrait of Pam Bertino age 51, Harley Rider
“You have to have fun. You have to laugh. When the negative comes, you have to throw it out.
One of the best things for me? To get on the bike and go. When you’re on the bike, you still feel normal. You don’t feel sick. It’s a fun, free thing. I ride my Harley with my husband and his friends and my girlfriends. And because I’m bald, everyone else gets helmet head but I don’t. That’s a benefit.”
(Photo by Ethan Kaminsky)
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Portrait of Justice Barbara Pariente age 55, Florida State Supreme Court Justice
“I was tired of feeling hot and uncomfortable in my wigs. I decided to go bare-headed. I had felt I was hiding the real me. I had been worried about people’s reaction but realized that I could show everyone that undergoing chemo is not shameful or terrible; it’s an affirmation of life, of our willingness to do what is necessary to ensure good health. Women do not have to feel this is something to hide.
Not to say I’m a type of Superwoman, but if your work is not physically arduous, it can have positive benefits. It keeps your mind off what ifs and worries. It’s been therapeutic for me. There are a lot more women doing it than commonly known.”
(from Justice Pariente’s personal diaries and The Palm Beach Post)
(Photo by Jennifer Podis)
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Portrait of Ardie Shannon age 57, Medical Aide
“My church was the biggest family I had during my illness. After I was diagnosed, I told everyone I had an announcement and that I needed their prayers.
From that point on, they were right there with me. They were on that phone, in that hospital, always doing something, asking if I was okay. They checked on me and sent me cards. I was lucky. A couple of them even worked at the hospital where I was treated.
The whole thing has changed me. Actually I’ve never been this happy. I feel like I’m blessed to be here. Each day is more important to me. It’s been many years since I’ve taken time for myself, since I could rest and could take my time about things. Before I was always in a hurry and did nothing; now I’m in a hurry to do nothing.”
(Photo by Bill Snead)
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Portrait of Dolores Chavez age 59, Longshoreman
“I have a wonderful support group in my family. We’re all longshoremen. My husband, my two sons, two daughters, my brother. They’re unbelievable. But it’s a roller coaster. Most of the time, we joke about it. It’s how we get through the tough times. You need to laugh. When you laugh, you relieve some of the tension you have. Cancer isn’t easy, but it’s what I have and it’s who I am right now.
I have my crying days, too. Those days, I tell myself, Okay, Dolores, you’re going to cry today but you only have an hour. Sometimes I can’t do it in an hour so I say, Okay, Dolores, you have half the day then go on, get up and go on from there.
That’s the roller coaster of it. The good and bad days. But didn’t we have those same kinds of days before we got cancer?”
(Photo by Stephanie Ellis)
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Portrait of Tamar Bolt age 29, Customer Service Supervisor
“You ever seen Charlie Brown? When the teachers are talking and he’s going, ‘Wha, wha, wha?’ The kids can’t hear anything the teacher is saying. That’s how it was with me. The doctor was talking and I didn’t hear anything. All I heard was the doctor going ‘Wha, wha, wha.’
The worst part? Feeling alone. Even if there are a million people around you, they can always get up and leave. You can’t leave. Support groups and a good doctor help but don’t listen to anybody who hasn’t been through it. Only listen to people who have been through it themselves. Nobody else knows what you’re talking about. Another thing, every time you turn on the television, it’s this person or that person walking for breast cancer. What about me? I have non-Hodgkins lymphoma. Who’s walking for me?”
(Photo by Howard Schatz)
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Watch a TV segment featuring Turning Heads Editor Jackson Hunsicker being interviewed by Robin Roberts on Good Morning America:
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For more truly beautiful portraits, and to purchase this magnificent coffee table book (with portions of each sale going to charity) visit www.turningheadsthebook.com and http://turningheadsstories.com.
NEW STORIES: Read all the online stories and then add to the new book currently being built. Many, many people have contacted Jackson Hunsicker since her book was published to say they want her to write a sequel. That’s exactly why she launched the “Stories” website. In Jackson Hunsicker’s own words, “This is so you can share your stories and share what’s happened to you. Consider it an online sequel to Turning Heads. A sequel can be formed online.”
GOOD PRESS: Read a glowing article about Turning Heads, written by Beth Leibson Hawkins for the American Breast Cancer Guide, by clicking here.
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Jackson Hunsicker graduated from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. She worked for the Associated Press, was a field producer for PBS-CPB and wrote for television and film. She also directed two children’s films—The Frog Prince starring Helen Hunt and Oddball Hall with Burgess Meredith and Don Ameche. In the mid-90s, she invented “Memo-Mate,” a digital recording device you attach to your keychain that was an Infomercial phenomenon. Then cancer and recovery came along. So did hair loss, hats, wigs, bandanas—but one day she visited a friend on a film set and went naked from the neck up. Her life changed and nothing seemed as exciting and inspiring as putting together Turning Heads. She lives in Los Angeles.
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AM
I love the way in which you have discussed this particular topic. Very helpful.
I look forward to perusing the other comments.