Five Years Ago Today: NO HAIR!

 Five years ago today on February 14, 2016 I started preparing for my deep brain stimulation surgery. OK, actually the preparing started months before with doctors appointments and tests and all that, but I consider February 14 the start of the surgery part of it. Most people celebrate Valentine's Day with gifts to their loved ones, but it was on February 14, 2016 that I lost all my hair. My hair. My crowning jewel. Probably one of the biggest defining features of me. I loved my hair. Yes, of course it could be unruly. It could give me fits, but it was MY hair. I'm not going to compare my loss of hair to someone who is battling cancer because if I did compare it, they would win every time. I knew my hair would grow back. I knew the second I lost it, it was already growing back. In fact, every week, for the the three weeks I had surgery, my neurosurgeon commented that he had to cut my hair every single time because it would grow that much in a week. He said I was the rarity. Most people could go the three weeks without having to have him shave their head every time, but not me! So, there is NO comparison with those who have or who are losing their hair to cancer - that's in a whole other realm of loss. BUT, I did lose all of my hair. ALL.OF.MY.HAIR. Every last piece of it. God took a break in counting the hairs on my head for a month or so - haha! I had really long hair too. My neurosurgeon was extremely sensitive and compassionate when speaking with me about losing it. In fact this is what I wrote on my blog post from January 8, 2016: "Dr. K. looked at me and he said something to the effect of 'When I saw your beautiful hair, I didn't want to broach the topic of what I'd have to do to it. I was stalling as long as possible.'" In subsequent meetings with Dr. K. and on the day of surgery, he told all the nurses and doctors that he felt horrible that I had to shave all my hair off. This is a picture of me from January 29, 2016 (one of the last taken with all my hair). The guy in the picture with me is Don Wildman from Travel Channel. :) Maybe I shouldn't have worn brown because my hair kind of blends in, but I didn't know it would be one of the last pictures of me with hair either!

February 14, 2016, was a Sunday, just like it is today in 2021. I went to church and then out to eat with my family afterwards. After that, I came home and my friend Carrie came over. I was reminiscing with Carrie this morning about that day. It was an emotional afternoon for both of us! Who knew cutting all your hair off would be so emotional?! I guess you just don't know unless you've done it. For some reason we didn't take a picture of me with all my hair. We started taking pictures at each interval of hair loss once it got shoulder length. Here are those pictures:

Shoulder length front

Shoulder length back

Above the shoulder front

Above the shoulder back

Side bob view

Side bob view

Getting shorter front

Getting shorter back

Really short front

Really short back

GONE!! Front

GONE!! Back

This is my shunt scar. Turns out, I didn't need a shunt!

The aftermath!  

So every year on February 14, I take a picture of myself and my hair. It's  just a fun way to commemorate the day I had my head shaved! By the way, yes - you do still see hair on my head in the above "bald" pictures, but they shaved it even closer during the surgeries. Here's how bald I actually was. This was right after the "awake" surgery:

Here are the hair growth pictures through the years including this year. Thanks to the pandemic, I have now grown my hair to around the length it was before shaving it all off.

February 14, 2017

February 14, 2018

February 14, 2019

February 14, 2020

February 14, 2021

Today marks 5 years. How has it been 5 years since the "beginning" of the deep brain stimulation surgeries? Whoever coined the phrase "The days are long but the years are short.", knew what they were talking about. FIVE WHOLE YEARS!!! They haven't been easy years, but they've been blessed years. I'll use another cliché and say, this isn't a sprint, it's a marathon, but, I wouldn't have it any other way. I've learned so much in these past 5 years. Every obstacle, every fall, every "hardship", it's all made me stronger. Not only has my hair grown so much in these past 5 years but my faith in God has grown by leaps and bounds. My determination and resolve have grown. I've grown. It's been and continues to be an adventure. I'm not really an adventure-seeking person. I'm reserved and an introvert. But with God by my side, I've been on the most adventurous, thrill-seeking, death-defying, scary-as-all-get-out ride and He's kept me safe! He's even gotten me to smile and admit that this adventure (which I would have NEVER chosen for myself) is kind of fun. Well, maybe not fun, but definitely adventurous. There have been fun aspects. I've gotten to do things, meet people and be in situations I never would have dreamed of and it's all made me a better person. Sometimes you just have to hold on for dear life while God takes you on this wild and crazy ride called LIFE!

And to this day, I still proclaim: God's Got This!