The Story of the Mermaid Hair 

Some time ago, in a land not too far away— my hair decided to go into the dormant phase and stop growing. As a girly girl who loves long hair, and cancer survivor who’s lost my hair twice, this has been very frustrating. I noticed how thin it was getting when I tried to make it look good for the my last live performances in 2020, before the pandemic shutdowns.

Then in early 2021, when I started to do things out in the world again, I’d use a braid accessory with a baseball cap. This helped me feel less self-conscious, and it protected me from the dreaded scalp-sunburn!

Later in 2021, I got involved with an amazing charity called Twist Out Cancer, in their program, Brushes With Cancer, where a cancer patient/survivor is paired with an artist. The artist gets to know them for a few months and creates an original piece of artwork that’s inspired by the survivor’s story. The artwork then becomes part of the Gala Art Auction Event fundraiser. 

I wanted to go to the Gala the following May, and I wanted the whole dressing-up experience—and the baseball hat was not going to cut it! So I had to find a new hair option. 

Reluctantly, I started looking into wigs. Honestly— I never wanted to wear a wig again after cancer treatment as a kid. What I had then were adult wigs that didn’t fit me well. Of course, I’m thankful that I had something, but I always felt awkward wearing them.

In my online search, I tried 20 to 30 wigs in my price range with “natural” hair colors, but they all looked very fake or costume-y on me— even the lace-fronts that have the illusion of a hairline.

But when I saw the incredible painting that my artist created— the Mermaid Hair idea was born. Since the mermaid is emerging from the water, you can’t see her head. So I decided to be the mermaid in the painting. It was a reflection of my story, after all!

Now I wear the lovely lavender Mermaid Hair while speaking and at professional and formal events. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the wonderful compliments people have given me. And I realized that I could turn the attention that the hair gave me into an advocacy opportunity, to share about Twist Out Cancer and the cancer community overall.

Twist Out Cancer is a 501(c)(3) charity, and they create products from each piece of artwork. All the sales support the great work they do. I’m so grateful for my wonderful Twist Out Cancer and Brushes with Cancer experience!