The St. John’s Community Shave is Canada’s biggest Shave for the Brave in both heads Shaved and dollars raised. Participants arrive hours before the hair stylists, and the lineup of soon-to-be Shavers and their supporters often stretches down a long corridor near an exit. There can be a lot of time between the parking lot and the barbershop to think about one’s next haircut, and with the exit right there, away from the action, it can be tempting to just change your mind. But then you have to explain it to your donors and supporters. And you’ll always wonder “what if I had Shaved for the Brave back then?”
That’s how first-time Shaver Titia Praamsma felt on March 7, 2015 before she took a seat in the makeshift hair salon in the middle of the biggest shopping mall in St. John’s and Shaved for the Brave. Once she was in the middle of the action, a quick chat with a volunteer about the programs and purpose erased all her fears!
Titia’s life has been touched by cancer in the last year. A cousin died of cancer after being diagnosed a few years back, and a friend’s sister—and mom of three—also passed away.
“I saw friends posting on Facebook that kids were shaving or donating hair. I saw there weren’t many grown women volunteering to donate all their hair. I wondered if it was something I could do to help out and give back,” she said in an email interview. “I thought that giving a bit of hair, some of my time and energy might be a way to help others who were going through this uncertain and difficult journey.”
Despite some expressions of disbelief, Titia says she felt very supported by her friends and family when she told them she was Shaving for the Brave with a $2,000 goal (which she surpassed!). Her coworkers organized a 50/50 draw, and her company matched some of her fundraising. Hearing others talk about the value in Young Adult Cancer Canada’s work also helped pump her up before the big day.
Even though her direct network knew the story, it still wasn’t as easy to get back to business as usual after the Shave. Titia still had to attend social engagements and meetings where she would be faced with questions about why she was sporting such a drastic new look, and she didn’t realize how much she relied on her hair and hairstyle as a way “to feel feminine or to fit into society as a whole.” She would remind herself that she chose to do this, and it made her think about what so many women go through when they lose their hair during cancer treatment.
But it was worth it. Now with months separating her head from the clippers, Titia challenges everyone to try it out.
“Definitely sign up! It was an amazing experience,” she said. “I would recommend that any woman give up their hair for such a great cause. It’s an opportunity to put yourself in other people’s shoes, to dig deep, and hopefully find some beauty within.”
