Sons, 15 and 16, shave heads alongside their mum undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer

Two sons, aged 15 and 16, have shaved their heads alongside their mother who works at Northampton General Hopsital and is undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer.

Rachel Westwood, 48, was diagnosed with breast cancer in May and has recently started her second round of chemo.

Despite trying the cold cap, which did not prevent her hair from falling out, Rachel made the decision to shave it off – and her sons, William and James, insisted they were going to as well.

They have raised £3,715 so far, having smashed their initial £500 target, and this will be donated to Cancer Research, as they want to prevent others having to go through the same thing through vital research.

Rachel said: “I wanted to do things my way and take back that control by shaving my head.

“Of course I wasn’t excited by it, but being joined by the boys, my daughter, and a friend and her children made the experience and atmosphere better – otherwise I would have been unhappy.

“I was shaky while it was being shaved, but I felt relieved after it had happened.”

It was an “upsetting time” for Rachel when her hair first started falling out, after she cut it from long to short a few days ahead of her first round of chemo.

“I sobbed my heart out,” said Rachel, while discussing the first time she lost hair on day 12 after chemo. “It’s another bit of you that feels rubbish, and it changes so quickly.”

Rachel from Turvey in Bedfordshire is undergoing her treatment at Northampton General Hospital, where she has worked as the associate chief pharmacist for the past 23 years.

After finding out she had cancer in May, Rachel underwent her first operation in June and second in July, after which it was then decided she needed six rounds of chemotherapy to treat the “aggressive tumour”.

“I went from a healthcare professional to a patient,” said Rachel.

Since Rachel’s diagnosis, her sons – as well as all of her family and friends – wanted to support her through it.

Having raised over £3,000 more than they initially set out to, she said: “It’s absolutely fantastic and we’re blown away.

“Everyone has been extremely generous, and the children who sponsored us for a couple of pounds meant all the same as those who sponsored us for £100.

“I was overwhelmed and choked up by the support, especially all the incredible messages which lifted my spirit and made me realise I wasn’t facing this alone.”

Rachel will soon be attending a ‘beauty session’ at Northampton General Hospital for any cancer patients to make themselves up – which varies from learning how to tie scarves in different ways, to styling your hair as you lose it, to knowing what to do if your eyebrows and eyelashes fall out.

Though it has been difficult to adapt to her treatment being public now she has a shaved head, Rachel has taken it in her stride – and as her sons tower over her, she loves being kissed on the head by them.

To visit the fundraiser’s Just Giving page, click here.