Jennifer’s head shave for inspirational friend
WHEN one of her closest friends contracted a form of cancer so rare that it only affects one in five million people Jennifer Cox was understandably devastated. This sense of shock and helplessness was made worse by news that it would cost almost €200,000 to treat the illness.
Aged just 27, Kate O’Donnell was diagnosed with an extremely rare form of liver cancer called fibrolamellar in December of last year. The following February she underwent major surgery to remove the majority of her liver. But in order to continue her recovery she required an 18-month course of Atezolizumab, a drug not licensed by the HSE for Kate’s disease.
Costing €5,845 per vial, Atezolizumab is an expensive drug. And with Kate requiring a vial every three weeks for the duration of her treatment the total cost came to €187,064.
Thus began an extensive fundraising campaign with the Limerick woman’s family and friends working tirelessly to ensure she could afford this life-saving drug.
And, as one of Kate’s best friends, Jennifer (40) was determined to do her bit. She set up a GoFundMe page entitled ‘Head Shave for Kate’ which, as the name suggests, involved her parting with her locks.
‘I spoke to Kate about doing it and she was quite taken aback, but I told her it isn’t such a big deal, hair grows back,’ says the Wexford woman who now lives in Enniscorthy.
Scheduled for December 2, the big event will take place in the offices of Tenable, the cybersecurity firm where Jennifer and Kate met, and will be livestreamed on Facebook.
‘I’m quite excited about getting it done, I’ll be doing it in the office - some of the women there have said they won’t even be able to watch me getting it done, a lot of women are terrified about losing their hair. I think women have that attitude towards their hair, but it’s made me more stubborn about it, I want to go the whole hog,’ Jennifer says.
‘In some ways I’m seeing it as an act of defiance, something I’m doing by choice, it’s liberating.’
Having set herself a target of €1,000 Jennifer has already exceeded her goal but she will continue to fundraise for a person she describes as ‘inspiring’.
‘We met in Tenable, Kate is an observant, sensitive person, the kind of person who people open up to. She is one of those fun-loving, powerful women, and was at the front of the line when it came to campaigning for women’s rights,’ says Jennifer of her friend.
And despite Kate’s diminutive stature, Jennifer says she is by no means a pushover.
‘She taught me a lot about having preconceptions of people and not judging a book by its cover. She’s an inspiring person, there’s not many people I’d ditch my hair for, but Kate would give her right arm for anyone. That this has happened to her is a whole new level of unfair,’ Jennifer says.
Kate is currently out of work while she undergoes her treatment but Jennifer says she is ‘doing well considering everything that has happened to her’ and that so long as she continues to have access to Atezolizumab her prognosis is quite good.
‘When she was first diagnosed and we discovered it was liver cancer her survival rate was 30% but because it’s a rare form of cancer that rate went up, and it improved further because of her age, because she’s fit and healthy and looks after herself. But without the treatment her future would be bleak,’ she says.
Meanwhile, in advance of her big day and with the winter months on the horizon, Jennifer said she has ordered lots of cool beanie hats to help her cope with the cold conditions.
‘IN SOME WAYS I’M SEEING IT AS AN ACT OF DEFIANCE, SOMETHING I’M DOING BY CHOICE, IT’S LIBERATING.’