The Buzz of a Lifetime

Wow. So long overdue. Sorry! I finally got the chance to get a little caught up. I am sacrificing a run so you had better appreciate it!! :)

The 'buzz'...this is quite a story. I have actually teared up a couple of times just looking at the pictures. I feel so incredibly fortunate to have these people in my life. I love you. You know who you are even if you don't get a mention in this blog post (I will do my best!).

While I was in Leadville, I was considering canceling the head shaving party because I hadn't lost a single hair. My stylist, Micki, was going to be out of town and the planning was becoming a huge stressor for me. That only lasted a few days though and by Wednesday of that week, I started shedding. On chemo day,  just TWO weeks after I started chemo, I was losing hair so bad that it was making a huge mess in my house. The planning happened quickly and invites only went out via Facebook. It was the only way I could do it in such a short time with everything else going on...

side note: My dad hates hair. He thinks it's gross and gags a little if he finds a hair anywhere. A wad of gum with a hair in it would pretty much send him into convulsions. Well, remember that he is my houseguest during this time and it was a wise choice to shave it all off and save his stomach. Love you Dad :)


Ok, so August 27, two days after Chemo 2, we had a big ole bash at Headmasters in Lawrence, KS. Micki was back in town (but exhausted, weary from travel, and pregnant!) and so amazingly generous with the salon and her time. I love the staff there and they are like family to me. I can't imagine having shaved my head anywhere else :) My friend Kelly who owns Planet Sub (Yello Sub in Lawrence) generously donated sandwiches and Sam brought The Bar :). I got cupcakes from Celestial Bakery owned by my friend Bobbi to satisfy the youngsters in the crowd (and maybe a few adults).  Other than that, aside from a quick narration, I think the story may be best told in pictures!

Mommy and Annika hungry for burgers!

My dad, the kids and I went to The Burger Stand in Lawrence for a burger before the big shindig. It was quick but delicious and fun! The kids were having a tough time getting used to the idea so we had to distract them somehow.  When we got to Headmasters a little early for the party, I discovered that my friend Lee (He is awesome. That is all.) made an appointment early to come in, shave for me and get a pink S in the back of his head. CRAZY! But so incredibly awesome. He had previous obligations and had to leave before the party started but his presence in my life has been something I cannot explain. Lee and his wife Jenny are just the coolest people that I've barely ever met. :) The world is better with them in it.

Super Lee!! <3

SO many people showed up and there is no way I can post pics of them all. If you showed up with pink hair, shaved your head or kept me occupied during chemo, you got an automatic bid :) Or if we share genes...

Sam is the BEST bartender and an amazing friend. She made some watermelon,  basil (fresh from her garden), gin deliciousness that even a girl on blood thinners can enjoy. Thank you Sam!!

My running friends are the craziest and the BEST!! Coleen is quite simply an amazing friend :)

Julia was sick :( and neither of us breathed while the photo was being taken, but she made the trek to Lawrence anyway...because she's awesome :) 

Words cannot describe how thankful I am to have Kristy and Jeff in my life. Kristy is the reason I got a second opinion (you've read about her :) ). It may be safe to say that she saved my life. Thank you Kristy!

She was my running buddy before and my friend now. We WILL be running buddies again. Love you DD. 

I think it shows how special Chris is to me :) Is it coincidence that we became running buddies and got to know each other so well before I was diagnosed? His mom is a survivor, his sister is an oncology nurse, and he is amazing. 

I have no idea who this guy is, but we let him in and gave him wine because he is cute and bald. Kidding! He's my DAD :) Can't you tell? Oh just wait, it becomes more obvious...    

Micki was a pink feather machine! She donated the feathers and her time. She is AMAZING!! I love you Micki!
Mandy models the latest style in pink feathers.  And look at the line! I see Karen and Kristi...

There are so many more pictures that were taken very generously by the incredibly talented Sarah Holmes from Real Life Images. The album can be viewed on the Real Life Images KC  website.I don't think I can use her pics on my blog (at least I can't figure out how to!) but there are some incredible pics in there. She is so talented! Thank you Sarah!! 
Ok, so the moment of truth...

It was a little like a strip tease...

The crowd was riveted...

Am I demented? Why on earth do I look so happy here??

When I look at this pic, I just feel happy. My little guy is smiling and so am I. It really felt so good to just get it off!!

It feels funny! Hee hee

There's nothing like a good head rub to welcome a freshly shaved head.

Especially followed by a hug. <3 Coleen

We've turned Sam into a hugger for sure. I'm blaming Kelly...she started it!

We can go from sentimental to party in a matter of moments. We're good like that.

I've sure missed these girls! I am not going to shave my head again to get us all together!

Me and my amazing Dad :) NOW can you see the resemblance??
Having him by my side has definitely given me lots of fight!   

'You really have a nicely shaped head!' or was it advice on how to properly care for the dome?

My incredible friend Micki. Tired from traveling, pregnant and STILL gave her time and business to help me. Love you Micki <3 

Ok, well thank goodness that's over!
For the record, I didn't expect anyone to shave their head for me. Sam had just grown hers back in from when she shaved with Kelly and I just couldn't ask anyone to do that. After Lee left, and after my shaving, when it came time for the clippers to get stowed, the rest of my heroes showed up. And when I got home, a couple more showed up too. I love you all, more than you will ever know. Thank you. It makes a girl feel pretty darn special :) 

Amy so generously offered to shave the boys. Thanks Amy!!  And I'm pretty sure someone was trying to pay her off to leave Chris' hair just like that... :)

Chris has been there listening to me vent from day 1 and now he's letting me beat on him. I know it looks like a promo for Rocky XVI, but it's not :)

After almost everyone left, my BFF Rick decided to go under the razor too. I had no idea!!! 

Maybe a little trepidation??

Rick, me, Chris...two of my heros. I love you both so very very much!

So then we totally wigged out...

Don't even ask. No, I did not have more fun :)

Annika loved trying on the wigs!

Rick and Annika wigging out!

Closer to normal, but...nah...bald is beautiful

After too much wine, we can get him to do anything :)

I have a feeling that this blonde DID have more fun

When I got home, I got a call from my friend Andy. He and his girlfriend skyped me from Seattle to show me the un-local Buzz :)

Andy...hero. I have so much to say about this guy, but I'll save it. For now, I'll just say that he went bald for me. And he won the bronze medal in the World Championship road 100k in Winschoten Netherlands shortly after. Awesome.

Oh wait... and then I found out that my new brother-in-law buzzed too!!

Thank you Mike! I am so happy that Lauren brought you into our family :)

There are so many more pictures where these came from, but the story has been told. There is one critical piece of this that is missing, however. My friend Kelly. She was there, she laid low and kept a low profile. In fact, she took a lot of these pics. There is an amazing picture that Sarah captured and you can see it by viewing the gallery on her website. It doesn't matter if there were zero pics of Kelly and I together, her presence is strong regardless. Just knowing that she was there somewhere gave me a ridiculous amount of strength and confidence. I went to Kelly's head shaving in March of this year. She has no idea how much she inspires me. Love you Kelly <3

Which brings me to one more thought...

People frequently ask me how my kids took it. Well, I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. If I had gotten a second opinion on my ultrasound/mammogram results back in December, Kelly and I could have gone through this together. I truly believe that my kids needed to understand a little about what we were about to go through. They asked tons of questions when Kelly was battling...Can I catch cancer? Will I lose my hair too if I go to her house?...and they got to see her beat it and grow her hair back. We have had fun with it as much as we can. They got to pull some of my hair out and we make bald jokes a lot. Josh kisses my head and rubs it to go to sleep sometimes. Annika still gets a little embarrassed to be with me in public, but deep down, I think she's proud :) I have amazing kids :)

There were so many people who came to the party and I got brief moments with many of you. Please know that I know exactly who was there and I am thankful for each and every one of you. I miss many of you and apologize that I haven't found the time to catch up. I promise you that I will! There were some incredible gifts and very heartfelt gestures and I haven't even begun to send Thank You cards. I guess I could be doing that instead of blogging, but... that isn't really an option, now is it?

I am eager to catch up on this so I can share more of my feelings and overall health report now that AC chemo is over. I have a long road ahead. In the meantime, thanks for being patient :)

Much love  xoxo

Shelley