This is Elissa Baldwin’s answer to What day was the most emotional day of your life? on Quora.
Shave day was, hands-down, the worst and most emotional day of my life. I had only been diagnosed with leukemia 29 days earlier on June 1, 2016 and had been trying to prepare for this moment since that time.
Nothing can prepare you emotionally for shave day. Nothing.
As the day got closer and my hair started to fall out, I had decided that I wanted to make the day at least a little better than just doing a quick shave. So, I asked my cousin and friend to come in. My cousin would photograph it and friend would give me a makeover, shave and then trim my new wigs that I had ordered online.
I knew it was getting close, so I told them that Wednesday would probably be the best day. My friend couldn’t do it till Thursday because she worked. I was trying to hard to keep my hair in until that day (didn’t wash it or really touch it at all for fear it would come out in clumps).

My plan didn’t work.
I woke up Thursday morning and was horrified to see that my hair was almost completely gone at my temples. Thankfully, I hadn’t noticed the bald spot in the back until the pictures came back. I looked and felt awful and didn’t even want the nurses seeing me like this. So, I put on a scarf that a friend had sent in a care package.
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