Does anyone else dislike the Macmillan Brave the Shave campaign?

You made me smile about your daughter stroking your head Megster!

My hair is starting to come back (last chemo was 23 May) and I have about 2mm of very soft velvety fluffy stubble - mostly on top, the sides less so.

My youngest granddaughter loves to stroke it. Funnily it's a bit like people rubbing your bump when you are pregnant - everyone looks and strokes my head now (friends and family I mean - no random stranger to date!)

My daughter has changed the text tone on my phone to "it's so fluffy" from Despicable Me which is so funny!

Well said by the way - this thread has always been about recognising the fantastic work Macmillan do, and the need to continue to raise funds - as you say, we just want them to focus more on the fun ways. The more people I speak to the more I see relief that shaving their head isn't what we want to see - and great that they still want to raise money and are looking into other ways.

Good luck Megster with your chemo.

Hi Judyr58,

I'm sorry to hear you've experienced problems applying to become a Cancer Voice. If you email the team at cancervoices@macmillan.org.uk I'm sure they can help you.

Best wishes,

Jazmine

Thanks Jazmine - I did try this, saying that the registration link took me to the volunteering page and not a registration form.

I was advised certain options to select on my profile/preferences page which I did - but this just seems to be purely that, and suggests you sign up to the volunteering newsletter to find out about volunteering opportunities as they arise.

I've now tried this email address again with a specific question asking how I can directly and specifically actually apply to join Cancer Voices - so hopefully I will get a more direct response.

Meanwhile found a very interesting volunteering opportunity to apply for in my area so worth doing this anyway!

Thanks again for your help.

I just gave my friend a lift to the dentist and the waiting room was plastered with Brave the Shave posters. On each poster there was a space for the participant to write 'their story'. One of the participants had written something along the lines of 'anyone who knows me will know that I like to keep my hair 1 inch long so it will be really difficult for me to grow it until January when I'll brave the shave'. Is it just me or is that utterly insensitive? I would love to have the choice to grow my hair but instead my choice is between a headscarf or a wig and now I find I can't even take someone to the dentist without being reminded that I have cancer and to some people it's all a bit of a laugh. 

I know it's not MacMillan's fault that someone has written this as their story, but I do think that this illustrates perfectly that this campaign does nothing to raise awareness or understanding of what people with cancer are going through. All it has done is make me angry and upset. 

I've come to this discussion a little late and also, my (three and a half year) experience of supporting a close relative with cancer relates to my husband's bowel cancer rather than breast cancer.

I thoroughly dislike this 'Brave The Shave' campaign but more importantly, so does my husband. He would not find it at all supportive if I willingly lost my hair when, ironically, he didn't lose his through the several courses of chemo he was given. And that's one of his main gripes - this campaign simply spreads the false assumption that anyone having treatment for cancer will lose their hair. For sure, the formulation of chemo for bowel cancer rarely results in hair loss. However, before he had chemotherapy we didn't know this. We assumed that one of the distressing side effects of chemo was the INEVITABLE loss of hair. This is simply not true! 

Now there can certainly be all sorts of unpleasant side effects from chemo - he lost his mobility permanently through the neuropathy that came about after taking oxyplatin - and the radiotherapy wasn't a barrel of laughs either. However, since cancer is a wholly individual condition, it is no surprise that the effects of treatment will differ from person to person. 

My husband has told me that he'd be very distressed if I 'Braved The Shave'. Our life has already been turned upside down by cancer. Making a pointless and erroneous gesture would do nothing to help and everything to remind him of his own increasingly limited mortality.

So while I realise that anyone who has shaved their hair did so with the best intentions, I think this whole campaign is misleading and wrong. It compounds the stereotypical view of cancer treatment as well as putting emotional pressure on people (via social media) to make a similar gesture or risk being seen as callous and unthinking if they demur. 

l have tried to google this Brave The Shave Ad...but cant see anything.  Does anyone know where l can see it ?  Thnx xx

Hiya  

You can see it here on Macmillan's youtube channel.

G n' J

Thnx Dreamthief for the link.  No, l def dont like it.    Nor would l have liked it before l lost my hair to breast cancer.  There is nothing fun, smiley or ''lets do it together' for our poorly friend '' ...about losing your hair due to the severe drugs we have to endure in order to possibly keep alive.   This fund raising campaign hasnt been thought out compassionately for everyone involved.   (in my humble opinion)  xx

I just made a comment on a local social media site as the newspaper had done a report about two BRAVE ladies who were shaving their heads. I stated that slit of purple do not like the campaign and although the intention is well meant it is offensive to a lot of cancer survivors. I had one comment that wad very hostile, in a what do yo mean......? tone but then I have had others in support of what I was saying.Macmillan have got this so wrong the Coffee mornings etc. are a much better idea.

Oh dear!! I have been asked by a friend to join him in a sponsored shave next month, and I was happy to agree. As a 6 year breast cancer survivor, I was anxious to raise some cash via sponsorship to help in the fight against this dreadful disease which so far has taken two of my close friends as well as my father, uncle and brother.

Three years ago I did the same thing and raised £750 for the local hospice where my brother died. It was a low key solo effort and not affiliated to any campaign. Overall, people's reaction was positive. Only one friend was quite deeply upset by what I planned to do. She had a hard time during chemo and said that by far the worst part of her cancer journey was the loss of her hair. Whilst I shall be forever grateful not to have needed chemo myself, what I lost, namely my lymph glands and left breast, will never grow back. I have never, would NEVER imply that voluntarily losing my hair gives me an insight into the pain of her experience or that of others like her. In the end she conceded that possibly the end had justified the means.

I think that it's a pity "brave" and "shave" rhyme!! There's nothing brave about a voluntary radical haircut, but if people will give me money to pass on to a worthwhile cause just to have one then I probably shall. I really don't want to offend anyone but am not fit enough to run a marathon or do a triathlon. I am not brave enough to do a bungee jump or hurl myself out of a plane. I am a 62 year old grandmother looking for a way to give something back in belated gratitude to support Macmillan's work. 

Really, I don't want to offend anyone. All your words have made me feel terribly conflicted. Thoughts? X x x