C for Cinnamon*

Dark cinnamon, to be precise. Two weeks ago, I met a lovely woman named Anne who is also going through chemo for breast cancer. She invited me to be part of a "Day of Pampering" program hosted by the St. Luke's hospital's breast cancer resource center team, which was conveniently scheduled for yesterday, the day before today's final chemo session. Thanks the the generosity of Bobbi Brown cosmetics, Pantene's Beautiful Lengths wigs-for-cancer-patients charity, and celebrity hairstylist Mark Garrison's support for that program, at least 20 women had a terrifically girly day of makeup, hair, and laughter.

Pantene's Beautiful Lengths program works with women (and men) all over the country to encourage them to donate a ponytail (at least 8 inches long) to be made into wigs that are distributed to women with cancer via the American Cancer Society. For all you long-haired girls out there, what a great excuse to try a new look! I was open-minded about going with something different as I will likely be in wigs for at least the next 6 months - and what do I have to lose since I am already bald? I tried on a Jessica Simpson-esque curly blonde wig (too yellow, and a little slutty), a funky Meg Ryan style layered and highlighted short cut (cute, but made me look a little too old) and a blonde straight wig (too much like Wanda).

The overwhelming consensus in the room was that the Dark Cinnamon mid-length wig was The One. Redd, a very cool stylist from the Mark Garrison Salon, painstakingly layered, styled, cut and curled it into the funky, rock-n-roll cut you see here. Robert from Bobbi Brown did my makeup, which was so good that I think I can even be brave enough to post the latest bald shot (although there will be no true, circles-under-eyes and blotches-on-skin "before" shot here - I have lost much of my modesty, but not all of my vanity!)

















I'm looking forward to surprising the nurses today with the new style, and I think it may be time to let my doormen in on what's going on, lest they not let ME in to my own building with all these disguises...

*Look for more "C for" entries as part of my resolution to write more in general, and to try to broaden my topics beyond the Big C (admittedly, I haven't gone too far away with this one!)