PUEBLO — Many cancer patients suffer hair loss while going through chemotherapy. That change can impact their self-confidence and identity.
One cancer survivor from Pueblo said her hair is a big part of who she is. Haley Shirley is a breast cancer survivor.
“One word I would say for myself is brave, bravery,” Shirley said.
Shirley said in January 2023 she began feeling off and having pain in her armpit.
“We were just laying in bed one night, and I was like, kind of sore. I was like, oh, maybe it's from lifting or working or whatever,” Shirley said.
It was not until her dog, Koda, laid on her, that she felt the lump.
“Everyone was kind of like, well, it could just be your hormone levels, you know, you're really young, it could be a cyst,” Shirley said.
Shirley advocated for herself because she could tell something was wrong.
“When I called the following day, they were like, well, I can't get you in for another month. I'm like, I will see anyone you want to give to me. Just I need to be seen as soon as possible. Like, this is not normal,” Shirley said.
Her doctors did a biopsy on the lump.
“Couple days later, I got the results from the radiologist, and sure enough, I was stage three, and I had lymph node involvement,” Shirley said.
Shirley was diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma. She was only 24 years old.
“How is that even possible? You don't hear of 24-year-olds getting breast cancer. My first question I asked, I was like, 'What's the youngest you've seen?' They were like, 'You',” Shirley said.
Shirley said she was in shock.
“You hear cancer and think am I going to die,” Shirley said.
She was placed on a clinical trial and began chemotherapy. While going through treatment, she continued to work as a dental hygienist.
“Because I felt like if I just sat at home, that I'd get sad, depressed, and I didn't, I didn't want to feel like that I wanted to try and live a normal life as much as possible,” Shirley said.
After two weeks of the first round of chemo, her hair began to fall out.
“I feel like it is your identity and that's who you are,” Shirley said.
Shirley said she did not want to lose her curly hair so she began using a cold cap during chemotherapy. The cap works by cooling the scalp to reduce the amount of chemotherapy drugs that reach the hair follicles.
“It basically wraps around your head, and it feels like dry eyes and a brain freeze for three to four hours. It squeezes your head cold, you have to wet your hair. So your hair is soaking wet,” Shirley said.
She said the scalp cooling saved 60-70% of her hair.
“I think it is hard but you are battling this disease and the end goal is to be cancer-free,” Shirley said.
After 4 rounds of chemotherapy, her cancer had shrunk. Shirley continued her treatment, getting a lumpectomy and undergoing two months of radiation. It was in September when she received news, that she was cancer-free.
“So it was great. I probably had 25 People in the lobby between my husband, my parents, my in-laws, my brothers, my sister-in-law, everyone, you could think of nieces and nephews. So it was a great feeling just to kind of have that support and know that I had that support. I couldn't have asked for a better support system,” Shirley said.
Shirley said her family was tremendous during her journey to remission. She said her husband and her parents supported her at every appointment and she could not have done it without them.
Shirley said it is important for people to listen to their bodies and advocate for their own health.
“Looking back I think that's my biggest thing from that is just being brave and staying true to myself, just trying to attack this thing and be done with it, and now cancer-free,” Shirley said.
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