Allison | California

Allison | California
Diagnosis: Breast cancer

I got the call on Valentine’s Day 2019.  The doctor on the other end of the phone told me I had breast cancer.  Moments later–my head spinning–I was listening to my husband share the news with our children, ages 9, 7 and 3, assuring them that “Mom will be okay,” that “We’ll be a strong team,” and “God’s got us through it all.” His optimism and faith were powerful, but I was flailing inside.

Thankfully, over the next few days, we got good news. The cancer hadn’t spread far. It was fully treatable. I would be okay.

I was a couple weeks out from starting chemo and had mentally surrendered myself to the reality that I would lose my hair. While not concerned from a vanity standpoint, I was very nervous about how my kids would respond to my hair loss–that they would see a sick person, not just typical mom.

I didn’t know how much emotional weight my hair loss actually carried until I was at a breast cancer support group and the social worker introduced me to DigniCap. I remember driving home that evening, calling my husband and my parents, and it brought me to tears. Just the possibility of keeping that part of me–healthy me–was so empowering–that I could, at least on the outside, be the same person I was prior to my diagnosis.

Looking back at my cancer journey, I am so grateful I used DigniCap. Just the other day, an acquaintance approached me, telling me she just heard I fought cancer last year. I smiled and said, “Well, it’s good you couldn’t tell.”

Thank you, DigniCap, for allowing me to still look like “mom.”