As I sat thinking about how to begin this piece, what to say about all the wrong in the world and how to change it, I realized that change must have a starting point; it must begin somewhere. Of course, wanting to save the planet from harmful gases, global warming, and war are all respectable causes, but my way of changing the world has a location closer to home: my head.
It all started with the hair.
Hair. Truly, it’s a funny concept. Whether you have it or you don’t can mean the world to some, and make little difference to others. Appearance isn’t always everything.
When my hometown best friend Aimee called me one late October weeknight with an idea to help our friend Kailyn, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Kailyn had been diagnosed with cancer, Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, at the beginning of her senior year, only a month and a half ago. We all weren’t in as close contact as we would have liked to be – college and time apart tend to separate people – but I knew Aimee’s intentions were nothing but kindhearted.
Aimee’s question was simple. She told me of her secret plans: if one of her friends were ever diagnosed with cancer, she would shave her head. Since learning of Kailyn’s sickness, the idea had been formulating again in her head.
“I mean, is it too crazy? Too extreme? Do you think it’s a good idea?”
It sounded perfect. Aimee was always the type to take risks such as these, to risk her humanity for others. Of course she wanted Kailyn’s approval also, but I told her that my heart was right behind her.
And, naturally, that I would be willing to shave my head as well.
My hair was an essential part of my being up until this point. I had been growing it out since my freshman year of high school, where I had made the mistake of chopping it to my shoulders. It was something that everyone commented on, perhaps envied.
Needless to say, Aimee was shocked.
“I mean, are you sure? Courtney, your hair is so pretty, you’ve been growing it out for so long. You know, me shaving my head is just an excuse to actually make the jump to short hair. Do you really think you want to do this?”
Never in my life had I felt more right about something, like it was the perfect thing to do. I knew that usually I could not be so selfless, and I needed to reach out and make the jump, for once in my life.
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