Being bald out in public provoked some supportive reactions from customers, but it was harder within Jeanette's family – some cousins didn't know she was ill.

Transcript

It was hard because I wouldn’t wear a wig so I had no hair. I went back to work and I waited on my customers, because I work in retail, and a lot of the times they didn’t know who I was. But at the same time I would have women come up to me and say “Oh! What type of cancer did you have?” And then they would tell me their story which was great because they had been through it so it was good, it was a happy ending to see them standing in front of me. I even had a man come in who said his mother, who died maybe 5 years ago at the age of 87; she had had breast cancer when she was in her 20s.

It was really hard because my sisters and brothers knew but their children didn’t. So now I have nieces who’ve just turned teenagers and they’re not aware of their family history. I don’t know when their parents will tell them but that’ll be up to them. I went to Christmas dinner with no hair and no wig, I just told them I just cut it all off because I wanted to and they were all happy with that. You know they were 10 & 11 at the time but you have to wonder what they do think, but I didn’t care. But it’s still really hard now because we just referred to when I had short hair.

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