Free-for-All Friday: An Update on Ja’Naya…and Her Hair

I initially planned to rant in this post about something that recently ticked me off, then decided my time and energy would be better spent giving you an update on Miss Ja’Naya and her treatment. Everyone was SO supportive when she was first diagnosed with leukemia back in January, which almost seems like a lifetime ago. The least I can do is let you know how she’s doing. And I’ll begin with a photo:

Ja’Naya’s hair held on for 6 long months of chemo, and we finally had to cut it last weekend after it started to thin noticeably, creating large bald spots between her twists. Months ago, I was prepared for the hair loss to be a traumatic experience. Yet again though, my 4-year-old proved that her spirit is bigger than anything that can happen to her.

We had talked about it — losing her hair. And in true Ja’Naya fashion, she said to me, simply, “Mommy, it’ll grow back.” Like it was no big deal.

Because, apparently, it’s really no big deal.

To demonstrate just how small of a deal it is, here’s Ja’Naya with her big brothers while we were doing some thrift store shopping. This photo perfectly illustrates each of their personalities:

Still, given that I was the one tasked with cutting off of her twists, I admit I had to hold back some tears. But she’s just happy we can now go to the pool whenever we want without having to spend 4 hours afterward washing, then detangling, then combing, her hair. Simple as that.

And while we now have to deal with the inevitable stares from strangers, as long as my princess is still happy-go-lucky about everything, there’s no reason I shouldn’t feel the same way.

And in a side note about all this, a good friend of mine, Renee Ross of Cutie Booty Cakes, recently announced that she will be running in the Nike Women’s Half-Marathon in San Francisco on October 17th. What does this have to do with anything? Well, she’ll be running in Ja’Naya’s honor! The event will benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and Renee has a fund-raising goal of $4000. I started things off with a donation of my own, so please, click here to donate and help her reach her goal!

NOTE: A friend and fellow Elevenmom, Jenn from Frugal Upstate, originally started a chip-in campaign Ja’Naya was diagnosed. The original donation page had expired, but I’ve had people express interest in still being able to help, so this links to the new ChipIn page. Feel free to donate if you feel so inclined. You can go directly to the chip-in page if you would like, or donate via the Green Your Decor support page. Know that your support would help us out tremendously, and we would be forever grateful to you for it.