Cancer survivors living with chemo hair loss celebrate resilience

Rhiannon, a mother to two daughters aged 14 and nine, was diagnosed with breast cancer after finding a lump while in the shower in November 2025.

“I had an absolute breakdown,” said the teaching assistant.

“Like, how do you tell your children? I was so scared to just tell them.”

Since then she’s had a mastectomy, chemotherapy and is currently having radiotherapy.

When her hair began falling out during chemotherapy she decided to shave her head, but wanted to make it as positive an experience as possible for her children.

She encouraged her youngest to play at being a hairdresser and do whatever she wanted with a scissors before getting the shaver out.

“I was like, ‘just cut whatever you want because it’s going anyway’,” said Rhiannon.

“I wanted to make something hard joyful for my children and for myself because I didn’t want them to see me upset, and my daughter loved it.”