Famous Singer, 64, Shaves Her Head After Chemo Then Says: ‘Get Me a Cap, We’re Going Out for a Drink’

Linda was first diagnosed with breast cancer almost two decades ago. She overcame the disease for a time, but it returned as metastatic, or stage four, breast cancer that had spread to her hip in 2017 and eventually to her liver in 2020. Then, doctors found tumors in her brain this spring.

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Since the tumors were found in her brain, she’s had radiotherapy and, now, chemotherapy. The hope is that her ongoing chemotherapy every three weeks will slow the progression of her disease.

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Needless to say, it’s been a long, hard haul. She’s had to endure various treatment side effects over the years including hair loss. This time being her fourth experience with it.

“My friend who is a hairdresser came round and just shaved it,” Linda said of her most recent bout with hair loss. “Then I said ‘Get me a cap, we’re going out for a drink.'”

Linda has an inspiring ability to find room for laughter when things are tough, but that doesn’t mean dealing with hair loss, among everything else, has been easy. She admits it’s been tough to see all the changes happening to her body because of cancer.

“When we got back [from the bar] I was emotional. My sister Maureen said, ‘Are you alright?’ And I couldn’t speak, then I said, ‘Not really.’ She came and sat beside me and put her arm around me,” Linda explained. “I just feel, because I’ve been having steroid treatment as well and my face is swollen, I look like Mrs Potato Head.

“People say, ‘Well you know you look great,” but inside I’m screaming ‘I just don’t want to lose my hair again!’ I was devastated at losing it.”

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Linda has “two lovely wigs” she’s planning on wearing from time to time, but they’re certainly not her favorite.

“I have two lovely wigs, blonde, short, wigs, I will get them out, but I hate them,” she said. “I check it’s on straight all the time, or if it’s warm I’m boiling. It’s been easier to wear the baseball cap.”

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Honest about her physical and emotional afflictions from the disease, Linda has shown other survivors they’re not alone in their struggles. But she’s also shown them what it can look like to carry on with a positive attitude, regardless.

“I wake up every morning and I think this is another day to celebrate rather than to think I’m getting closer to not being here,” she said. “That helps me.”

Coping with Hair Loss

When cancer treatment leads to hair loss, it can feel like just another thing that’s trying to knock you down. But know any sort of negative feelings you’re having as a result are totally normal.

Experts tell SurvivorNet grief is a common emotion after a cancer diagnosis, and they say allowing yourself to feel that emotion can be a crucial step in accepting a new normal and pushing through treatment. So, when it comes to hair loss, it may help to give yourself the space to grieve the change so you can accept it and find some positivity from there.

"I help patients acknowledge their grief so they can move on. I think the more we try to push [those feelings] away and say, 'Oh, it doesn't matter,' it tends to stick around a little longer," says Laurie Ostacher, a medical social worker at Sutter Bay Medical Foundation in the Bay Area. "If [a woman] seems like she's having trouble moving on, we explore [that too]."

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Don’t hesitate to talk to your care team and a mental health expert if you’re struggling with hair loss or any other aspect of the cancer journey. And if you’re wanting to hear from others who’ve been in a similar situation, consider joining a support group or reaching out to others who you know have experienced hair loss. Talking with them may be just the thing you need, according to Dr. Samantha Boardman, a New York-based psychiatrist and author.

"The dread of losing one's hair can lead to sort of sleepless nights and you know, a feeling of anxiety," she said. "Talk to people who have been through it, get their advice, voice your concerns to your caregiver and see what they can do."

Questions to Ask Your Doctor

If you're undergoing cancer treatment that’s causing hair loss, consider asking your doctor the following six questions:

1. What treatments may be able to help manage or minimize my hair loss?
2. What are scalp-cooling devices, and how do they work? Do you recommend them?
3. What other resources are available to help me cope with my hair loss?
4. Can you recommend a local wig-maker?
5. My hair loss has caused me emotional distress, can you recommend a therapist for me to talk to?
6. Can you help me find a local support group for people going through similar experiences?

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