 Part I of Tricia's blog |
 Part II of Tricia's blog |
 Part III of Tricia's blog |
 Part IV of Tricia's blog |
 Part V of Tricia's blog |
 Part VI of Tricia's blog |
 Part VII of Tricia's blog |
 Tricia Andron-One Year Later HOT by Hair's How first had the pleasure of getting acquainted with Tricia through Michael Albor of Michael Albor's The Loft Salon & Day Spa in Boston. Here, we reflect on Tricia's first chemo session and when she, her husband, Lee and crew of friends ceremoniously headed to The Loft Salon & Day Spa to support Tricia as she shaved her hair. One year later, Albor reflects on his journey with Tricia-from the perspective of her hairdresser. "As a hairdresser, you feel like you're helping other people, but they end up helping you," says Michael Albor. He says that Tricia has handled the whole experience with optimism and grace. "She brightens up the entire salon when she comes in. She was sensitive in the beginning, but through the support of her husband Lee and friends, she has embraced it all." To match her spirit, Albor created a radiant platinum blond color for Tricia. "She's definitely found that platinum blonds have more fun!" Stay tuned. HOT will soon be posting updates from Tricia on where this courageous, optimistic woman is-exactly one year later. |
 Part VIII of Tricia's blog |
I celebrated my cancer-versary marking the date of my diagnoses recently, and found myself marveling at what a difference one year can make.
A year since I was diagnosed - forget our trip to Greece, chemo, Big Hair Date Night and the Haircutting Party, losing my hair, three trips to the emergency room, a double mastectomy, six weeks of radiation, returning to work, raising $4k and walking "Relay for Life," several awkward "pump up" visits to my plastic surgeon to fill my expanders, a wedding in San Diego, Grace's 2nd birthday and an appointment with my friend Michael at The Loft Salon to dye my wonderful new chemo curls platinum blonde-all within a year?!
After facing the biggest challenge of my life, I'm back at work, hair on my head, struggling with balancing the day-to-day just like everyone else-almost as if nothing ever happened.
I'm a survivor, but if I thought that survival was the end game with a cancer diagnosis, I would miss the biggest lesson I took from the experience: that the real work begins after treatment is complete.
In the midst of the worst of my chemo treatments, I found myself looking back at the stresses of life "BC" (before cancer), thinking I hadn't known stress until I was diagnosed with cancer. I spent the time during treatment focusing only on getting healthy. I had great support from my husband, friends, co-workers and family, and was able to go through the process with a healthy attitude, if not a little bit of humor. I turned to writing to help me process the experience, and was again supported and encouraged, which led me to begin blogging for HOT by Hair's How. Eventually, I began keeping my own blog, View from Upside Down: Living Up to Second Chances (www.andron.com/tricia/).
Even in the midst of my singular goal to become healthy and beat cancer, I somehow knew that the real work would come after treatment. I named my blog, in a not-so-subtle way, to remind myself that this is, indeed, a second chance and not an opportunity to be squandered.
So what does one do with that realization? I went back to work, brought Gracie to daycare, finished projects and reviews, painted a bedroom and began living the "normal" life that I wished I could have while I was sick. Except now, I am so very aware of my second chance and constantly struggle with asking myself-"am I living up to it?"
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| Tricia, Lee and Grace at a wedding in San Diego. | Tricia and Lee's Cancer-versary celebration at Landfall in Falmouth, Mass. |
| Part I of Tricia's blog |
| Part II of Tricia's blog |
| Part III of Tricia's blog |
| Part IV of Tricia's blog |
| Part V of Tricia's blog |
| Part VI of Tricia's blog |
| Part VII of Tricia's blog |
| Tricia Andron-One Year Later HOT by Hair's How first had the pleasure of getting acquainted with Tricia through Michael Albor of Michael Albor's The Loft Salon & Day Spa in Boston. Here, we reflect on Tricia's first chemo session and when she, her husband, Lee and crew of friends ceremoniously headed to The Loft Salon & Day Spa to support Tricia as she shaved her hair. One year later, Albor reflects on his journey with Tricia-from the perspective of her hairdresser. "As a hairdresser, you feel like you're helping other people, but they end up helping you," says Michael Albor. He says that Tricia has handled the whole experience with optimism and grace. "She brightens up the entire salon when she comes in. She was sensitive in the beginning, but through the support of her husband Lee and friends, she has embraced it all." To match her spirit, Albor created a radiant platinum blond color for Tricia. "She's definitely found that platinum blonds have more fun!" Stay tuned. HOT will soon be posting updates from Tricia on where this courageous, optimistic woman is-exactly one year later. |
| Part VIII of Tricia's blog |
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