Hi Everyone! My name is Hollis Thomases, and I am the new Headcovers.com Brand Ambassador. I am also a fairly recent breast cancer survivor, so I know all about the journey and the need for headcovers. Here’s a bit of background on me and how I will be helping Headcovers.com.
My cancer story began in very early March 2022. I had just returned from a long weekend visiting my sister. She lives in an old farmhouse that has very few mirrors, and one of the first things I noticed when I looked at myself in a mirror once I got home was a fairly sizable protrusion coming out of my upper right chest directly below my collarbone. It was a squishy mass.
Since it had not been there before I left for my weekend, to see it there was disturbing to say the least. I contacted my gynecologist’s office, and they had me come in two days later for a special case appointment. He assessed the mass and told me that because of its properties, it was probably nothing to be too alarmed by but as a precaution, he ordered a diagnostic mammogram and ultrasound. (My annual mammogram had been performed the previous late July, so this was only seven months later.)
"I had the mammogram and got the results the following Monday, March 28th, 2022: Positive for breast cancer."
It took about two weeks for me to get these imaging appointments lined up. At the end of the screening, the radiologist came in and said he saw some new calcification that had not been there on my July mammogram. He wanted me to have a biopsy, which was set up early for the following week. I had the mammogram and got the results the following Monday, March 28th, 2022: Positive for breast cancer. At that time, the labs had not yet typed or staged the breast cancer – At that time, I didn’t even understand there are many different types of breast cancer. I only knew I needed to find and meet with a breast surgeon.
"Because of the aggressive nature of Triple Negative, I would need to start treatment as soon as possible."
I am fortunate to live near a Top 10 U.S. cancer center, and I had a contact there. By April 3rd, I met with both a breast surgeon and an oncologist. They only received the cancer typing from the lab that morning: Triple Negative breast cancer. At that first meeting, because of this type of breast cancer told me my treatment would be long and hard: Two phases of 16 infusions of 4 total chemo drugs over six months, 1 immunotherapy drug over one year, surgery, radiation, and if I chose, reconstruction as well.
I was told there would be no way to avoid losing my hair with the types of chemotherapy drugs I would receive. Because of the aggressive nature of Triple Negative, I would need to start treatment as soon as possible. Before starting, however, a number of tests would need to be performed and an infusion port would need to be installed in the opposite side of my chest. We scheduled my first chemotherapy infusion for April 20th, only three weeks later.
"It was almost too much to process."
It was almost too much to process. While at this first meeting, I also complained to the doctors about pain in my breast. They told me that the pain could be caused by any number of things, but that breast cancer was not generally painful. As the weeks before my first treatment went by, however, this pain continued to get worse and worse, and my breast was noticeably changing. I kept the doctors informed, but they were not necessarily alarmed. They gave me medication for the pain. Finally, they told me that if I developed red blotchy skin on that breast, to let them know. The week before my treatment, I believe it was on a Wednesday, I looked at my breast and did notice red, blotchy skin. I contacted my surgeon, who told me to come to her office after my port installation that Friday for a punch biopsy. A punch biopsy is a biopsy of the breast skin, and Man, did it hurt!
On Monday, two days before I was to begin treatment, the surgeon called with the punch biopsy results. Indeed, I did have something wrong! A second, even more rare form of breast cancer called Inflammatory breast cancer, was present. This upped my stage from 2 to 3 but didn’t change my treatment. I became even more eager to begin treatment because the anxiety and pain felt swirling out of control.
"Prior to losing it, I had cut my hair into a cute pixie…but that did not last long."
Among the things I did in my early days of treatment was to start a tracking and countdown calendar. I kept track of days of chemotherapy (175 total), weeks, milestones, and infusion appointments. I actually kept my hair past the first full month of chemo, losing it on Day 40 or so. Prior to losing it, I had cut my hair into a cute pixie…but that did not last long. I stopped washing my hair altogether about 2 weeks before we actually shaved it all off because I started seeing it falling out in the shower. My husband wanted to be the one to shave my head, but when it was done, the experience was probably more traumatic for him than it was for me. By that point, I had prepared myself for this inevitability and had loaded up on headcovers of all kinds to handle it all.
"By that point, I had prepared myself for this inevitability and had loaded up on headcovers of all kinds to handle it all."
Some of my headcovers were gifted; some were self-purchased; some I used with frequency; some I didn’t care much for at all and barely used. There was a lot of trial and error. It’s not something anyone has much experience with until you’re facing something so immediate like this, and I was no exception.
"Writing was my outlet during these very real, very scary, very difficult times."
I journaled my entire experience and then some. I started a CaringBridge page to keep my friends and family informed. I wrote in a private journal. I emailed one-on-one with women I met who were survivors themselves. You see, I am a professional writer and writing was my outlet during these very real, very scary, very difficult times.
"As Headcover.com’s Brand Ambassador, I will write more stories."
I come to you here now on Headcovers.com as a breast cancer survivor, a total hair loss sufferer (plus, in my 30s I suffered from alopecia aerate so I had that previous traumatic experience), and a headcover wearer. As Headcover.com’s Brand Ambassador, I will write more stories. Stories about my experiences, your experiences, and the collective experiences of women going through the challenges that warrant the merchandise that Headcovers.com retails to help everyday women like you and me. My aim will be to help connect you with these products in useful and meaningful ways. I love that Headcovers.com was founded as a woman-owned, mission-based business and continues on this mission today. It is an important one. It is one that I feel very strongly about.
No one should have to walk in these heavy shoes alone.