A FROME woman has raised £2,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support, when she shaved her head to support her best friend who is undergoing treatment for cancer.
Abi James was losing her hair due to treatment for Hodgkin lymphoma and as a result, decided to have her head shaved. In support of Abi, her best friend Libby James (no relation to Abi), volunteered to also have her head shaved on Friday 12th May. Libby set out to raise £500 for Macmillan Cancer Support as a ‘thank you’ for the support they have given to Abi; however, they exceeded their target on just the first day that fundraising started.
The friends met four years ago when they were both 16 and attending Frome College. Libby said, “I did have quite long hair before, this is quite a drastic change and it has taken quite a bit of getting used to. It does feel a bit strange. It certainly makes getting ready in the morning much quicker. When I told Abi that I was going to have my head shaved she was quite shocked. It initially came about when we were on a night out and all the boys shook Abi’s hand and said they would do it. She went to shake mine and we joked. Then overnight, I started to think more about it and decided to go for it.
“Abi has smashed her treatment and losing her hair was something she was quite worried about and found it hard to overcome. I wanted to support her through this and she is so thankful because she was dreading it. People have been shocked, but all the comments have been positive. We have raised so much more than we expected for Macmillan Cancer Support and we smashed our target in just one day!”
Abi said, “It’s been amazing that Libby has shaved her hair off too and her support means so much. It got to the point with my hair where I had to have it all shaved off because it was falling out. On the day we had our hair shaved we made it really fun, then we went into town after to celebrate. Nearly £2,000 has been raised for Macmillan Cancer Support and everyone at the hospital where I have my chemotherapy say how much the charity deserve that. I have been supported so well by Macmillan Cancer Support, they deserve every single penny.
“I have had to come a long way in accepting that I will lose my hair, it’s been really hard to come to terms with, but my family and friends have been amazing in making everything feel comfortable.”
Macmillan’s relationship fundraising manager in the south west, Kaeti Morrison said, “For Libby to have raised her original target of £500 for Macmillan by shaving her head would have been amazing on its own. But to raise almost quadruple that amount is astonishing. It’s wonderful to see that the people of Frome and beyond have rallied around these two friends, so Macmillan can be there for more people like Abi with help like our nurses or support line. We wish Abi all the best for her treatment, and thank Libby from the bottom of our hearts for her support.”
Macmillan Cancer Support run a Brave the Shave campaign, encouraging people to shave their heads to support people with cancer and fundraise for the charity. For more information visit, https://bravetheshave.macmillan.org.uk/about
