Paula’s close shave for cancer

Many of you will have seen Irish radio presenters, Ian Dempsey and Ray Darcy smiling down at you from billboards across the country with half-shaved heads.  It is all part of Today FM’s Shave or Dye fundraising campaign which will see its presenters shaving their heads or dyeing their hair to raise money for the Irish Cancer Society.

I logged on to Facebook a week ago to see my friend Paula declare she is about to shave off her beautiful hair too.  Paula is a young breast cancer survivor and as those of us girls who have had this experience know, shaving off your crowning glory is no small act!  It  has taken Paula just over six years to grow it back to the length it is now, so naturally she had some reservations in the begining.

“I’m doing this for many reasons, first of all, it’s important to me to give something back but I would also like to raise awareness amongst young people about the risks of getting cancer. I was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 25 and young as that may seem, it’s not as uncommon as people might think. I know other people who have been directly affected by cancer in their 20s, 30s and 40s. It’s a common misconception that you’re not at risk until you get “older”; the breast screening programme, for example, is aimed solely at women over 50. ” writes Paula on her fundraising page.

I am so proud of her and she truly is someone who is as beautiful on the inside as you can see she is outwardly. I will be supporting Paula, and if you would like to do the same please visit: http://www.mycharity.ie/fundPageTemplateX.php?urlRef=paula_asples_close_shave for details on how to do this.