The Anti-Fallout

Mark, myself and my ponytail.

My hair is going to fall out within the next few days so I decided to beat chemo to the punch. Both of my chemo agents cause hair loss but Taxotere often causes sudden hair loss.  Meaning you wake up one morning with most of your hair in your bed or you take a shower and clumps let loose in the tub.  One of my own patients had hers fall out in the supermarket.  That process seems rather horrifying if you hair is 12 inches long like mine. So take that chemo, I foiled your plans!

Lynne arranged for my hair extravaganza at an Oakland salon called La Nana nestled in the back of a flower shop.  Mark, quite possibly the best maker of hair experiences on earth, introduced himself with a hug outside the salon as Lynne and I were looking at mini-pots of succulents for sale.  Oakland could not be hipper.

First step, I donated my hair to Locks of Love http://www.locksoflove.org.  Mark tied my hair into a pony tail and then lopped it off.  He did this unceremoniously.  Mark put my ponytail on the counter, looked me in the eye and said "ok then! Let's go to the sinks."  He gave me a scalp and neck massage while washing my hair during which I might have drooled a bit I felt so relaxed.
Second, he gave me a pixie cut so when my hair falls out, there will be just a little to fall out.  During the course of the hair cut he gave me three band recommendations, told me people pay him a lot of money to get my natural hair color, adjusted the Pandora station to a mutual favorite band, and told me I was going to look hotter than Sigourney Weaver in Alien after my hair falls out because I have way better bone structure.  Mark had to pause my haircut twice because we were laughing so hard it was unsafe to continue with the scissors so close to my head. 

David, thanks for the pep talks the night before when I felt nervous and sad.  Lynne, thanks for turning what I thought would be the worst haircut of my life, into the best. 
Mark of La Nana Salon, I wish I could get my hair cut again tomorrow.

Addendum:  I must fess up.  Jerry, David's Dad, was the first to beat my chemo to the punch.  Nice work Jerry!