"Hat Shower"

Friday afternoon. Nadav and Aviv are playing with kapla on the carpet next to me. I drink green tea Sencha grand cru. My Parisian (and zuriquoise) girlfriends got this great tea in the beautiful Mariage Tea boutique in the Marais. This is a complex ceremony to prepare it - indeed it must infuse exactly at sixty degrees - but its therapeutic powers against cancer are unrivaled. It is also good for prevention, so dear friends, just go for it!

What a beautiful day! I started it with my yoga classes with my lovely Liat Mandel yoga teacher. She concocted a lesson with a lot of work on the arms and shoulders and I really felt it boosted the healing forces in my chest. Then I had lunch with my niece Claire and Lia at the veggy restaurant of Meshek Barzilay in Yarkona.

But the big moment of this day was certainly the Hat Shower! My sister Yvonne called me Tuesday night and asked  me what I thought of inviting friends to a "Hat Shower". I must say that initially I did not really understood  what she meant. But then she explained that it's about bringing together friends who are aware of what I'm going through, who want to help and express their friendship.. The idea is to ask each friend to bring me a hat or scarf before my hair fall, by next week. I quickly felt that it was a really good idea. Since the news broke, I received many messages of encouragement and comfort and I have often felt how these messages  are beneficial to me. But at the same time, friends often wonder what I need and I do not know exactly what to say. But here, hats and scarves are going to become really essential  for the coming six months..

There is also another dimension that I learnt about from conversations with women who have gone through chemotherapy: the hair is a part of our identity as women, a marker of femininity. Losing hair in bunches is perceived as the most traumatic moment, the most depressing. Although the nausea, vomiting, pain is hard and heavy to bear, but hair loss is a blow to morale.

As I already understood it: High spirit is essential to deal effectively with the disease. And now, after, I feel so happy! It was so warm! I felt so much kindness and affection from all those who came to bring me scarves and hats! And they are so beautiful these hats and scarves! I was so spoiled! I've tried them all, I had fun, I found my reflection in the mirror amusing. I even thought that, I may find pleasure in harmonizing clothing and head coverings .

I feel much stronger to cope with the painful moment whenever it comes! So thank you so much to my dear sister and to you my friends! Thank you for coming! Thank you for being there for me!