It was the summer of 2009 and I had no hair. Not even one little piece of peach fuzz. At this point, I was still working in New York City in advertising, and it was an off-chemo week. So I was feeling good. I was about to meet friends for dinner and this nervous feeling came over me. I didn’t want to wear my wig – it felt like a plastic hairy hat, and because of my hot flashes, I was way too hot. So I needed a head scarf. But I didn’t have one with me. I popped in to some little boutique right near my office…and there was a scarf that was just the ticket: bright pink and colorful. It was in the shape of a triangle, so it was the perfect size to wrap around my sweaty bald head to provide some color around my face.
For me, pink has always been my color. Even as a little girl, my favorite color was always pink. So it wasn’t because I had breast cancer, but because there is something that it does to my face when I wear it. It’s bright. It’s happy and it’s feminine.
Feeling bright, happy and feminine were challenges that I faced when I lost my hair and my breasts. So one thing I always did during the time of my treatment was to get dressed wearing something bright.
So if you wonder why we include bright lipstick and a fun scarf in our Pretty Packages, it’s because those two items will inevitably help you feel beautiful. To this day, I still wear my scarf. It feels like magic to me – it’s full of strength and beauty and is a reminder that I am Fighting Pretty.
Since starting Fighting Pretty, I have met so many amazing people who are also supporting women battling cancer in so many different ways. One being Sarah Graby, the designer and founder of Sparkle My Headscarves, an organization she started after her cousin passed away from breast cancer. Sarah creates the most amazing, soft and fabulous scarves that I truly wish they were available during my journey. But lucky for you, she sells them on her website, and we recently partnered to sell them on ours (stay tuned!). Plus, she has a tutorial on how to wrap your scarf.
So if you haven’t guessed – one tip for you during your battle with cancer. Get a beautiful scarf to not only wear to help you feel more beautiful, but to lift your spirit. You can do this. You are amazing. You are Fighting Pretty!
xoxo Kara