For the last 10 years, first as a nurse and now as a nurse practitioner, I have pushed, injected, hung and prescribed chemotherapy to too many children and adolescents. Well intentioned staff and family members, intending to comfort these patients often make statements such as “It’s just hair,” “it will grow back,” “Bald is beautiful” and my all time favorite, “You’ll look great in a hat.” Really? You’ll look great in hat? Because teenage girls often wear hats everywhere they go, right? But it’s not just hair. It’s stares and questions everywhere you go. It’s a young child’s or teenager’s self-esteem. It’s a tell-tale sign to everyone you see everywhere you go that you have cancer (or at least giving them a chance to make up some version of what they think they know about your life). It’s a sympathetic look from a stranger that you don’t want. It’s questions you’re tired of answering. It’s an outward sign of an inner struggle that you can’t hide. So if it’s just hair, shave it off. It WILL grow back. And until it does, go ahead and ask me why I’m bald. Go ahead and stare. Ask questions. Let me raise awareness about this organization, about research needs and opportunities. Let me advocate for our research and treatment facilities here in our own city. Let me stand in solidarity with my patients, my heroes.