I’m going to start with this caveat: I do not miss having cancer. OK, said it, so now you can read the rest of this post in context. One of the kinds of, maybe, a little bit, fun things about cancer (I know, don’t roll your eyes) is the fashion sense that I had during my cancer treatment related to chemo. No, for real. I went from “hard pants and blazers at work” to “leggings, flowy tops, and awesome head wraps” during my treatment. Of course, I cried when I started losing my hair and my husband kindly, gently, took the clippers to the rest of it so I could do the scarf wrap. But after that fearful first moment where I had to go to work with a scarf on my head, the following days became an opportunity to delve into headscarves on Pinterest. No seriously. So…here’s a few search tips: Don’t look up, “cancer head covering” or “cancer scarves,” instead look for the styles of modest women in the Jewish and Muslim faiths. These women taught me how to wrap, braid, double-wrap, crisscross, and make flowy scarf art atop my head. I don’t think I’ve ever received as many compliments on anything as my head scarp wrapping magic. Well, except when I got the henna on my head – that got me waaaayyyy more compliments too, but also people wanting to touch my head, so there’s that.

When the chemo treatment is over, when your hair starts growing back, it’s also such a fun time to document and be present with what’s happening. How many times have we wished we had the gall to shave our head? How many times had we wished we were bold enough to clip our hair down super short? Like a runway model, your hair is going to grow back in an interesting way, so try to revel in the moment. Seriously, more compliments will come your way! Suddenly, you’re not that person with cancer, but you’re the person who has a very bold, chic sense of style. Yes, the joints still hurt, the taste buds are slowly trying to return, the fatigue is still real…but sometimes we just try to find the moments of joy and optimism where we can.