I so sympathised with Sarah Standing’s article on the distress of losing her hair to cancer (A moment that changed me: I lost my hair to cancer – and the trauma taught me an essential lesson, 5 July). I had stage four ovarian cancer diagnosed at the beginning of the year, and chemo very quickly stripped away my hair. Like Sarah, I felt self-conscious about showing my head, but, unlike her, I did not want a wig.
So I bought a hat and found my friends admired it. I got bolder and ordered more elaborate multicoloured silk bucket hats on the Etsy shopping site, and lovely hand-knitted ones from another designer. I tarted them up with big earrings, and compliments poured in. I have ordered hat after hat, and made friends with a couple of the designers. Many moons ago I was fashion editor of the Guardian, but never thought I’d put my training to this use.
Angela Neustatter
London
