My Givealittle Page has officially closed! Having raised $2,155 for Melanoma New Zealand, I think it’s safe to say I can relax and enjoy my bald head now! Thank you so so so so much everyone, I couldn’t be more happy with how this experience went, my absolute love to you all xxxx
Holy Moly!
I am officially bald, thank you so much everyone for your support! I feel so liberated and free!
I have a live stream available on Facebook, and pictures coming soon :)
Please help me raise more awareness and funds for Melanoma NZ by sharing this around!
My page closes tomorrow night (9th March) at midnight!
I love you all!
Loren
xx
Only three more days until the big chop!
I’ve been spending my last few days embracing the annoying head of hair that I have been growing out for quite some time!
I don’t think I’ve ever danced so hard in my entire life, whipping my hair around as much as possible at gigs, having whole packets of Holi colour dumped onto my head at the Holi Festival of Colour, and saluting the sun in the ocean! I’m making the most of the next few days!
But in all honestly I’m really looking forward to the freedom of not having hair (anyone who’s been around me for the past few months knows how excited I am, possibly a little too excited??)
As much as I love to hide behind my hair, I’m hoping that this experience will show me a new way of looking at myself and loving myself.
I would like to reiterate that this is a choice for me. Anyone who has lived or is currently living with extensive hair loss, whether it be Alopecia or from battling cancer, these incredibly brave and strong people do not have the luxury of choosing to be bald.
Everybody is different! I’ve talked to people who couldn’t care less about being bald, I’ve talked to people who say that wearing a wig is just plain itchy and annoying, I’ve talked to people who say that their wigs are the best thing that has happened to them!
But I hope that by this experience I can encourage people struggling with self love to wholeheartedly embrace their baldness and uniqueness, to bask in the glorious natural beauty that they possess! I admire you all.
This goes not only for those with hair loss, but to everyone. Whether you tie your hair up and tuck your hair behind your ears for everyone to see your wonderful face, or you stop wearing make up for a few days a week, even if you sit in front of a mirror for five minutes a day and tell yourself how damn radiant and awesome you are, this is my challenge for you (these are challenges for me as well).
It’s going to be tough, having my head never seen daylight since I entered this earth, but I am so, so excited!
Thank you everyone for your love and encouragement, you’ll see me live streaming at 10:30am on Thursday!
All my love, Loren xx
Now that it’s only seven days until I finally get to see the shape of my head, I want to acknowledge the person behind it all. The one who isn’t able to witness what I’m doing, my Poppa Mel. This is something I’ve never, ever written about before.
Originally I wasn’t going to fundraise at all, I simply wanted to shave my head to donate my hair as a tribute to my Poppa, as well as those suffering from Melanoma. After talking to friends, family, even my hairdresser about what I wanted to do, we all decided together, why waste such an incredible opportunity to raise awareness on something so under acknowledged, Melanoma.
My Poppa was awesome, to say this is a huge understatement! He was a mega sci-fi nut, obsessed with StarWars, Star Trek and various sci-fi movies that I was definitely too young to be watching! He taught my brother and I everything we know about astronomy, spaceships, telescopes, let’s be honest he’s probably the reason I’m basically a seven year old boy at heart, fanatical about dinosaurs, space and trains. He was full of knowledge and life, always ready to dance to rock n roll music with a huge grin and a bourbon in hand.
He spoke about life and the good old days with such passion and romance that it transported you into another era. He reminded me of all of the natural beauty in the word and the little joys. He spoke of the first time he met my nana, as they were simply walking down a street and locked eyes, he knew she was the one. Watching my Nana and Poppa slow dancing to Jeff Beck in the living room is a sight I will never unsee, their love dispersing into the room like magic.
Although my fondest memories I have of my Poppa were full of joy, I also remember as a little girl being terrified of the huge, deep scar on his fore arm from where the Melanoma had been cut out, oblivious to what was going on. But what was I to know, and what were people to say?
Looking back now, I realise that it’s not the scar that I should have been afraid of, it was what lay ahead.
In Easter 2013, I was working full time, I had plans to get into Broadcasting School, hoping to be the next David Attenborough, but I had no idea what was ahead of me and it was exciting!
You always assume that your grandparents will be there for so much of your life, to see you reach twenty one, witness you graduate, get married, even becoming a parent. All of these milestones were taken away from my Poppa and I in less than a month.
But that’s not to say we didn’t make some memories in those four weeks. I have never met someone with so much persistence and determination in their final moments. While he was in palliative care, he desperately wanted one last taste of bourbon and coke. My big brother and I rushed off down the road to the liquor store, brought some pre-mixed bourbon (sorry Poppa, you would be appalled!) and rushed back. He could only stomach less than a sip of the watered down, icy bourbon and coke, but the gratitude and relief that he expressed on his face when he finally got his last taste was something I will cherish forever.
On his final day my Poppa and I had a moment alone. He was barley able to move or speak, yet I remember he had the strength to ask me “you know what’s happening to me don’t you?” All of a sudden I felt like time had shifted back ten years and he was speaking to that oblivious little girl in his arms at Le Bons Bay. Deep down, the eighteen year old me knew that this would be our last conversation, so I kissed him on the forehead, told him I loved him and said goodbye.
Only hours later, surrounded by friends and family, he lost his battle to Melanoma, his last words being “live long in prosper” (just like the movies, right Poppa?)
If there’s one thing I can say about Melanoma, it’s that it is unpredictable, rapid and heart wrenching.
This disease is preventable, but unfortunately for my Poppa he was born into an era (one of which he spoke so highly of) where there was lack of information and education around skin cancer.
I know I may seem crazy, being afraid of the sun and overly conscious when it comes to stepping outside, lathering myself in sunblock on a daily basis, heck I’ve even put sunblock in between my toes, but it’s because I will never, ever unsee what Melanoma did to my Poppa, and I will never underestimate the power of the nature.
This is a small tribute to him, and to all of those who are currently in the grips of Melanoma, whether you are someone fighting the painful fight, or holding your loved ones hand by their side, I think of you all every time I step outside.
Thank you so so much to everyone who has supported me, not only for the past two months of fundraising, but to those who stood by my side when my Poppa was taken away far too soon.
This means the world to me.
