Devoted son grows out hair for mum going through chemo
<p dir="ltr">An Arizona woman battling with brain cancer lost her hair while undergoing radiation treatment and her son has gone the extra mile to help. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Speaking with <em>Today</em> in 2022, Melanie Shaha, 61-year-old mother of six, said that doctors discovered a benign brain tumour in her pituitary gland in 2003.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Ms Shaha had surgery to remove the tumour, which grew to be the size of a plum, according to Today, but she underwent a second procedure when it returned.</p>
<p dir="ltr">In 2017, Ms Shaha’s tumour returned once more and she was prescribed radiation treatment. </p>
<p dir="ltr">"Not having hair, you stick out like a sore thumb and well-meaning people can say things that break your heart," she told<em> Today</em>.</p>
<p dir="ltr">"I don't mind being sick but I mind looking sick. I'd rather blend in and not stand out at the store." </p>
<p dir="ltr"><em>Today</em> revealed that back in 2018, Ms Shaha’s 28-year-old son Matt made a joke that sparked an idea during a family lunch. </p>
<p dir="ltr">"I said, 'Why don't I grow out my hair to make a wig for you?’” Matt told the outlet.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Although Ms Shaha was hesitant to take her son up on his offer, he persisted and grew 12 inches of hair by March 2022. KSAZ, a local news station in Phoenix Arizona reported that Matt grew his hair out for two and a half years.</p>
<blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CgfqMtWvqYe/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14">
<div style="padding: 16px;">
<div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;">
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div>
<div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;">
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div>
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div>
<div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div>
<div style="padding-top: 8px;">
<div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div>
</div>
<div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div>
<div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;">
<div>
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div>
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div>
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div>
</div>
<div style="margin-left: 8px;">
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div>
<div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div>
</div>
<div style="margin-left: auto;">
<div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div>
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div>
<div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;">
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div>
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div>
</div>
<p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CgfqMtWvqYe/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Mercedes Berg (@mercedesmberg)</a></p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<p dir="ltr"> Matt chopped off his long locks with the help of his coworkers, according to <em>Today</em>.</p>
<p dir="ltr">"We were super pumped and when they started cutting, we bawled," Ms Shaha told the outlet.</p>
<p dir="ltr">They then shipped the hair to Compassionate Creations in Newport Beach, California where it was constructed into a hand-stitched wig. KSAZ reported that the wig cost $2,000.</p>
<p dir="ltr">"The colour is spectacular and we had it cut and styled with a hairdresser," Ms Shaha told <em>Today</em>. ”Matt said it looks great on me.”</p>
<p dir="ltr">"It's a no-brainer," Matt told KSAZ. "She gave me the hair in the first place."</p>
<p><span id="docs-internal-guid-dcbdbe5e-7fff-a917-41a6-da9865809eca"></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><em>Image credit: Instagram</em></p>
