How Corinne approached hair loss with a new attitude

An unexpected cancer diagnosis can change your life, especially if you’re a new mother. You may begin to think differently about what the future can look like for your family.  For Corinne Schelle, she was able to find moments of joy and support through her family and the Canadian Cancer Society wig bank after she was diagnosed with cervical cancer.

The weeks leading up to the first birthday of Corinne’s son should have been joyful and filled with excitement. But Corinne began getting concerned when she started experiencing prolonged bleeding after her first postpartum menstrual cycle. After asking for further testing and referrals from her doctor, they discovered that the bleeding was caused by a tumour. It was soon confirmed that Corinne had cervical cancer and she had to have surgery.

This surgery would mean that Corinne and her husband would not be able to have any more children. But they were still grateful that their son was born before her diagnosis.

The final pathology results showed that the cancer was also in the lymph nodes next to Corinne’s cervix. This was devastating news. Because further treatment would be needed, she would not be able to breastfeed her son – an experience that was very important to her. She would also need hormone replacement therapy until she reached the natural age of menopause.

Once Corinne finished 25 rounds of radiation and 7 rounds of chemotherapy, she began losing her hair. But she approached losing her hair with a new attitude.

I’ve never been a woman who was attached to my hair or identified with my hair, so the news of losing it wasn’t devastating for me,” says Corinne. “I decided to embrace my hair loss and think of it as a time in my life where I was going to be bald. I wanted to have some fun with it.

The people at Corinne’s hair salon, CRAFT Academy, agreed to cut her hair short and dye it pink. Over the course of three separate visits, leading up to when she expected her hair to fall out, they gave her a new colourful shaved design. Her husband, a professional photographer, supported her by documenting the process and sharing her story on social media.

“The support I have received from people who have seen my photos or heard my story is overwhelming and I feel so strongly that this support has gotten me to where I am today,” adds Corinne.

During her treatments, Corinne stayed at the Canadian Cancer Society’s Jean C. Barber Lodge where a volunteer informed her about the wig bank. A second volunteer at the wig bank, Robin, helped her find one that was perfect for her.

Robin and I played around, tried on different styles and colours and just had fun,” says Corinne. “It was so easy and Robin made it a sweet experience for me. It’s safe and comfortable and you don’t feel overwhelmed being in there.

The day after her hair began falling out, Corinne and her husband both shaved their heads. But she continued to be excited for the new experiences the wig could bring her. “My hair is going to grow back and in a year from now, I’ll be back to where I started,” says Corinne. “But in the meantime, I have a beautiful wig made with real hair and I can cut it, colour it and style it however I want. It was so simple to get the wig and best part of all, it was free. I still can’t really believe it."