Eleven Friends of Breast Cancer Patient Shave Their Heads to Show Support

Sometimes I cry at the drop of a hat and other times it takes a lot to move me. I often get teased here at the office because I don't cry during our radiothons dealing with sick children. However, this video got to me. Maybe because I've been in this woman's shoes. I know exactly how she feels when she sees her friends have all shaved their heads in her honor.

A group of women in South Africa get together for a photo shoot set up by one of the friends of Gerdi McKenna, a woman diagnosed with breast cancer. The photo shoot was a surprise for Gerdi and was documented by photographer Albert Bredenhann.

The women all show up, wearing pink, at the salon to have their heads shaved. Their hair was then donated to the Cancer Association of South Africa and will be used to make wigs for cancer patients.

This got to me, and yes I teared up, because as a breast cancer survivor, I too went through chemo, losing all my hair. While it wasn't a major, traumatic thing for me it is for many women. Hair is a big part of a woman's identity. They take pride in it, curling, blow drying, coloring, and spending hours to make it look just right. These are some very, very good friends to have done this. While it's quite 'freeing' to be bald it's also very scary and you become very vulnerable. You have nothing to hide behind anymore. So I say kudos to these ladies and to Gerdi...be well, you have some amazing support and love surrounding you.