Time after time I’d go see Kaihea perform (when she was well enough to), and audiences in traditional Arabic venues would gasp when they saw the dancer come out bald (but for a mohawk of bindis and henna) and with visible surgical scars…then she’d start to move with the music, and night after night I’d hear them whisper to each other in astonishment: “She’s…BEAUTIFUL!” They learned something, something I hope they never forget, about what beauty is.

Burner friends of ours marked her passing by forming a nonprofit outfit called “Hair Flair For Hope” http://hairflairforhope.org/ that makes kinda zany but warm wigs/dreadlock falls for bald kids in chemo wards and adults as well.

On a completely superficial note, you look very adorable bald. Not everyone can pull off the look. 

I appreciate your particular approach – trying to stay objective in researching all available options. The subject of medical cannabis is quite annoying, as it’s hard to know how beneficial it MIGHT be because of the legal obstacles to legitimate research. 

Rick Simpsons’ video, “Run from the Cure” seems so cut and dry – he gave hemp oil to his rural, salt of the earth, non-stoner, farmer friends, and their various forms of cancer all went away in a short period of time, presto magico, all better. It’s definitely alluring, and perhaps it’s true and real and possible, but the weird stance that our government has had towards this plant for the last 80 years makes it difficult to know which strains of cannabis, what forms of delivery, and what quantities might affect which strains of cancer and other illnesses.

 In the 90′s I worked for a writer, who later became a medical marijuana activist, named Peter McWilliams. He died in his bathroom, having choked on his own vomit because he couldn’t relieve the nausea caused by the drug cocktail he took for his cancer and AIDS. You can read the several paragraphs about it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_McWilliams#Death_while_out_on_bond_pending_sentencing

I’m glad that things have gotten a little better since then, and that more people are able to acquire at least some anecdotal evidence regarding the medical efficacy of the herb.

My brother amassed a truly dizzying array of baseball caps when he was doing chemo (he was 12-13 at the time). Mom thought he should have gone bareheaded more, because he had “such a nicely shaped” head. Which, y’know, you never know what’s under there until the hair’s gone.

My grandma wore a wig identical to her usual style, but abandoned it as soon as her hair started growing back. I remember that she gelled it spiky when it was still short, and how all my younger cousins thought it looked cool that way.

Hope you’re hanging in there.

Man, do I love seeing the world through the eyes of a child.

 … I saw a lesbian friend at a conference who thought I’d switched sides and was wearing a butch haircut – I had to tell her it was not so benign a change…

I think this is a textbook example of Awwwwwwkward. And I thought it was awkward to ask a fat woman when the baby’s due.

So, I actually blogged about that…

http://boingboing.net/2012/01/10/why-the-raw-cannabis-juicing.html

And…

http://boingboing.net/2012/04/23/my-dinner-with-marijuana-chem.html

tl;dr: I’m afraid that video is woo.

Cannabis holds many promising possibilities, but it is not currently something one would do *instead of* chemo/surgery/radiation. In addition to, sure. But not instead of. And no, not at concentrations that would put you in a coma. Geez.

There just isn’t enough science on cannabinoids as a treatment against cancer at this time, thanks in part to the fact that conducting trials in the US is illegal. Plenty of evidence that it helps manage pain, nausea, and symptoms, though. And lots of promise beyond that. But we don’t have the data to justify abandoning conventional therapy. I’d consider it suicidal to do so.

I know I’m just another of thousands of people putting in my 2¢, and maybe you’ve seen it, but I recently watched a 15 minute video on youtube called “Leaf”, about JUICING cannabis leaves. The point is to flood the system with the helpful cannabinoids in a quantity that would normally put you in a coma for a week if you heated them. If you do a youtube search for Leaf it should be the top result, it is for me, but perhaps because I’ve watched it before. Also, here’s a link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qa0nLdVJiIg

Thank you for sharing your experience.