0:00:05 > 0:00:0890% of people would say their hair is everything to them,
0:00:08 > 0:00:10especially a woman.
0:00:10 > 0:00:12And if their hair's good, they'll look good and feel good,
0:00:12 > 0:00:14and that's their whole image.
0:00:14 > 0:00:17It's important. Very important.
0:00:19 > 0:00:22Most girls, when they're going to buy an outfit, they'll try it on
0:00:22 > 0:00:25in the store, but they'll look at themselves in the mirror and say,
0:00:25 > 0:00:27"Well, it'll look better when I have my hair and make-up on."
0:00:29 > 0:00:34My hair has always been part of who I am, part of your femininity,
0:00:34 > 0:00:36your image. If you're having a bad day,
0:00:36 > 0:00:37you just get up in the morning,
0:00:37 > 0:00:39you can do your hair, you feel better.
0:00:39 > 0:00:41Or if you want a change, what do you do?
0:00:41 > 0:00:43You go to the hairdressers and get a new cut
0:00:43 > 0:00:45or get a new colour and then change it up a bit.
0:00:45 > 0:00:48It just makes you feel better instantly.
0:00:51 > 0:00:53Hair is extremely important.
0:00:53 > 0:00:56It defines you as a person.
0:00:56 > 0:00:58That's until you lose it.
0:01:02 > 0:01:03For years and years, the word "wig"
0:01:03 > 0:01:06always had this, sort of, negative connotation towards it.
0:01:10 > 0:01:12You don't realise until it's actually gone.
0:01:12 > 0:01:15I've seen the look of shock on people's faces, you know,
0:01:15 > 0:01:17that are completely took back that I've no hair.
0:01:20 > 0:01:24It hit me - this is going to happen, whether I want it to or not.
0:01:24 > 0:01:27My hair is going and there's nothing I can do about it.
0:01:30 > 0:01:32I sell wigs.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35And the first thing they think of is, my goodness,
0:01:35 > 0:01:38it's going to be something that they had in the '70s or the '60s,
0:01:38 > 0:01:40this horrible, shiny-looking thing.
0:01:40 > 0:01:41But it's not like that now.
0:01:44 > 0:01:46When I put a wig on, I do feel normal,
0:01:46 > 0:01:49because it feels like I have hair again,
0:01:49 > 0:01:52and it just makes me feel normal.
0:02:11 > 0:02:13Emily was tired, she was up and down in her mood,
0:02:13 > 0:02:17she was like not eating her food, and then she developed a wee rash.
0:02:17 > 0:02:21Took her to the GP's, we had bloods drawn and...
0:02:21 > 0:02:24We came back with a diagnosis of leukaemia,
0:02:24 > 0:02:26and it was the last thing in the world
0:02:26 > 0:02:32that we ever were suspecting, or ever even thinking about, so...
0:02:33 > 0:02:36That was the world beginning to be blown apart.
0:02:38 > 0:02:41We're going up to my room, which is up here.
0:02:43 > 0:02:48It is my two favourite colours, pink and blue.
0:02:48 > 0:02:51On the wall is a picture of me, my friend and my sister,
0:02:51 > 0:02:54with Stephen Cluxton, the captain of the Dublin team.
0:02:54 > 0:02:57I have Stephen Cluxton's football gloves.
0:02:57 > 0:03:00These mean the world to me.
0:03:00 > 0:03:02SHE GIGGLES
0:03:02 > 0:03:04Being off school sounds like a lot of fun,
0:03:04 > 0:03:07but when you're off it for seven months,
0:03:07 > 0:03:11you actually can't wait to get back to school.
0:03:11 > 0:03:17I can't wait for Confirmation, to see all my friends, to see everyone.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21Because I haven't seen them in a really long time.
0:03:23 > 0:03:25And that's going to be really exciting.
0:03:25 > 0:03:28Every day, it's a worry in this house.
0:03:28 > 0:03:30So, the Confirmation is a massive issue,
0:03:30 > 0:03:33because it's going to be a chapel full of children
0:03:33 > 0:03:35and little children that are maybe sick,
0:03:35 > 0:03:38so we have to be very, very careful.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41Everything is... is a risk of infection.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45There was actually a month, while I was at home,
0:03:45 > 0:03:48my mum actually considered wrapping me up in bubble wrap.
0:03:50 > 0:03:52I told her to take a chill pill!
0:03:52 > 0:03:53SHE GIGGLES.
0:04:02 > 0:04:09Hello? Good morning. How are you? How are you doing? You look lovely.
0:04:09 > 0:04:13And the hair's all gone. Oh, goodness, you look lovely.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16- Are you all excited?- Yeah.- Looking forward to the big day?- Yeah.
0:04:16 > 0:04:18'Well, Emily came into my life recently,
0:04:18 > 0:04:20'and I got a phone call from her mother.
0:04:20 > 0:04:22'Her mother said, "She's dreading losing her hair."
0:04:22 > 0:04:26'It's a big day coming up. She's making her Confirmation and, also,
0:04:26 > 0:04:30'she had a birthday on the same day, so all I said was,'
0:04:30 > 0:04:33"Leave it with me. And I will get together a few styles
0:04:33 > 0:04:36"that I know will be perfect and wait till SHE'S ready."
0:04:36 > 0:04:39Do you want to go long? Do you want to go short?
0:04:39 > 0:04:42- Do you want to go curly? Do you want to go blonde?- No!
0:04:42 > 0:04:43This is your opportunity.
0:04:43 > 0:04:45'A couple of weeks before Confirmation,
0:04:45 > 0:04:49'we sort of thought about what Emily was going to wear
0:04:49 > 0:04:52'and the hair, and all the rest of it and Theres brought'
0:04:52 > 0:04:54a whole suitcase full of wigs.
0:04:54 > 0:05:00- That's quite nice.- I really like that.- So do I.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03- Now, would be a good one. - Come on, we'll try a blonde.
0:05:03 > 0:05:07At least she can have a good laugh. What do you think of that?
0:05:07 > 0:05:10- No!- See, I think blonde washes her out.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13'I was a mousy brown before'
0:05:13 > 0:05:17and the blonde was just... not for me.
0:05:17 > 0:05:21- Down.- Down.- Big down.- Big down.
0:05:21 > 0:05:25I secretly knew what she would like, so I had my...
0:05:25 > 0:05:27The one, as we say, that was up the sleeve.
0:05:27 > 0:05:29Right, Emily.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32I reckon this could be the one for the big day.
0:05:32 > 0:05:34This is the Confirmation one, I think.
0:05:34 > 0:05:38We've got a wee bit of curl and a wee bit of sparkle going on.
0:05:38 > 0:05:41- That's what you're after, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44'When I saw the curly wig with the diamonds,'
0:05:44 > 0:05:50I just thought it was amazing and was just the right one for me.
0:05:50 > 0:05:54'Once I put it on, her face lit up and she looked in the mirror.
0:05:54 > 0:05:59'Oh, my goodness. You could see this girl gaining ten inches in height.'
0:05:59 > 0:06:01She became the person she was supposed to be.
0:06:01 > 0:06:03I'm your hairy godmother!
0:06:03 > 0:06:04LAUGHTER
0:06:04 > 0:06:06I'm here to give you hair.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09'I think it was very similar to the hair that she would have had
0:06:09 > 0:06:12'previous to her illness and it probably just made her feel
0:06:12 > 0:06:14'so normal again and just...'
0:06:14 > 0:06:19Just made Emily feel...like Emily.
0:06:23 > 0:06:29The day you get your chemo, you count 19 days and it's roughly
0:06:29 > 0:06:32about that, 19 days. And on the 19th day, your hair starts falling out.
0:06:35 > 0:06:39But the smart people, I always say, is the ones that decide,
0:06:39 > 0:06:41"OK, I might not have had control over my chemo.
0:06:41 > 0:06:45"I have no control over that." No control over their illness.
0:06:45 > 0:06:47"But my goodness, I can take control over when my hair's
0:06:47 > 0:06:49"going to fall out."
0:06:59 > 0:07:00Had a shower. It was a Sunday.
0:07:00 > 0:07:03Came out, was putting cream on, and I found a lump.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06Thought nothing of it, because of my age. I'd just had a baby.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09I always thought, I know people with cancer and I've heard
0:07:09 > 0:07:12of people with cancer. Didn't think it would be me.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15- Once you start to see...- Thursday night, I was just, tingling head.
0:07:15 > 0:07:17That's it. That's it. I can see it.
0:07:17 > 0:07:19I can see it, I can see it, I can see it.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22And, once you see it coming, like that, you know,
0:07:22 > 0:07:24that's the beginning. And there's no stopping it.
0:07:24 > 0:07:27I always said when I got cancer and I heard about chemo,
0:07:27 > 0:07:30I'd heard of all these people shaving their heads,
0:07:30 > 0:07:32I remember saying, "Oh, I will never be fit to shave my head.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35"I can't do that. I don't want to lose my hair.
0:07:35 > 0:07:38Why would I shave it off? I'd just these visions of me holding on
0:07:38 > 0:07:40to every last strand, as long as I could.
0:07:40 > 0:07:44Is your mummy turning into an alien?
0:07:44 > 0:07:45LAUGHTER
0:07:45 > 0:07:48- An alien. Oh, you're laughing at that!- An alien mummy.
0:07:50 > 0:07:53'When I made the decision that I was going to donate my hair,
0:07:53 > 0:07:55I was like, right, OK. I am in control now.
0:07:55 > 0:07:58I'm going to lose my hair on Saturday at six o'clock. That's it.
0:07:58 > 0:07:59It's done.
0:08:03 > 0:08:07Are you waving bye-bye to my hair, Erin? Yeah? Is going, it's going.
0:08:07 > 0:08:08How did you know?
0:08:09 > 0:08:14- Yes, I wish I was as happy as you are.- Here we go. Ready for it?- No!
0:08:14 > 0:08:15Go for the first cut.
0:08:19 > 0:08:21That's nice and close. That's a nice length of hair.
0:08:21 > 0:08:22That's nice, healthy hair.
0:08:27 > 0:08:31'At least some wee girl can get a wig made out of my hair,
0:08:31 > 0:08:34'rather than just falling out in dribs and drabs'
0:08:34 > 0:08:36and it going in the bin. Maybe if I can see that something good
0:08:36 > 0:08:39is coming out of this, it'll help me deal with it a wee bit better.
0:08:46 > 0:08:51She was great up until the hair went. And then she broke. She cried.
0:08:51 > 0:08:54And it was from her heart and her soul. It's hard.
0:08:54 > 0:08:58It is only a small part of your life and, hopefully, it'll pass.
0:08:58 > 0:09:02A bit weird. I've just... I'm afraid of Erin being scared of me.
0:09:02 > 0:09:06- Yes, yes, yes, yes, I know.- Because I've no hair.- Give Mummy a kiss.
0:09:06 > 0:09:08We'll go upstairs and get ready.
0:09:08 > 0:09:09- Oh!- Mwah.
0:09:11 > 0:09:12Ah, goodness.
0:09:12 > 0:09:14'That was the moment that I thought,'
0:09:14 > 0:09:17"Oh, God, what if I get up in the morning and...
0:09:17 > 0:09:21"she doesn't recognise me, or she just finds it really hard?"
0:09:21 > 0:09:25It was hard. And it isn't easy.
0:09:25 > 0:09:28My job is to make their hair look good.
0:09:29 > 0:09:30It's sad.
0:09:33 > 0:09:35I'll bring you over and we'll get rid of the last bit.
0:09:35 > 0:09:38And then she said, "Right, Orla, we're going to shave your head."
0:09:38 > 0:09:39And at that, I went...
0:09:39 > 0:09:40GASPING
0:09:50 > 0:09:53'It was easier for me to deal with getting my head shaved
0:09:53 > 0:09:57'than having to go through a week of torture, basically.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01So, I made the decision, so I had the control of when it was
0:10:01 > 0:10:03going to happen and why it was going to happen.
0:10:15 > 0:10:19We will get a phone call, "Oh, I'm suffering from a bit of hair loss,
0:10:19 > 0:10:22"and I'm a bit afraid to come in.
0:10:22 > 0:10:24"What way is it and is it confidential?"
0:10:24 > 0:10:26And I will say to them,
0:10:26 > 0:10:29"Listen. Come on. This is something to enjoy.
0:10:29 > 0:10:31"Look at it as a positive thing."
0:10:31 > 0:10:36We get all sorts. You do get your cancer patients. It's just natural.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39Then, we get hair loss, which is your alopecia people.
0:10:39 > 0:10:42People with just naturally bad, thin hair.
0:10:42 > 0:10:44And we do get a lot of fashion people, who are in
0:10:44 > 0:10:47the fashion industry, that are looking for a certain look.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52I'm getting these all lined up for Frankie, who is coming today.
0:10:52 > 0:10:54Frankie's a model and she's looking forward to doing
0:10:54 > 0:10:56a big photo-shoot tomorrow.
0:10:59 > 0:11:02'I remember, I was sitting, I was just touching, like having
0:11:02 > 0:11:06'a wee scratch, and I felt the tiniest little spot and, literally,
0:11:06 > 0:11:08'within a couple of weeks,'
0:11:08 > 0:11:11it was just, if you imagine going like this with your hair,
0:11:11 > 0:11:14it was just coming out, like, as I was doing that.
0:11:14 > 0:11:16And four months later, I was completely bald.
0:11:27 > 0:11:29At the start, it was hard. I was so ashamed.
0:11:29 > 0:11:33It ruined my personality, you know, for a good couple of months.
0:11:33 > 0:11:34It killed me.
0:11:37 > 0:11:41I was 18, nearly, and losing my hair.
0:11:41 > 0:11:44Depression, anxiety - everything comes with it.
0:11:44 > 0:11:46I deemed myself some sort of freak.
0:11:46 > 0:11:49- Hello, how are you? - Good, good, thank you.
0:11:49 > 0:11:51'Frankie's been coming quite a while.
0:11:51 > 0:11:54'Unfortunately, she's lost her hair, due to alopecia.'
0:11:54 > 0:11:58'Theresa has been my little fairy godmother.'
0:11:58 > 0:12:00From the moment I walked into her shop,
0:12:00 > 0:12:02she told me it was going to be all right.
0:12:03 > 0:12:07'When I got to know Frankie a bit better, I discovered that'
0:12:07 > 0:12:10Frankie had very bad burns. I think it's bad enough
0:12:10 > 0:12:12that you've lost your hair. Like, that's a big thing.
0:12:12 > 0:12:16But to be badly scarred... And she is.
0:12:18 > 0:12:21Christmas morning, at the age of two, I got, like,
0:12:21 > 0:12:25a little Cinderella pyjama set from Santa.
0:12:25 > 0:12:29And a spark came off the fire and it just completely caught.
0:12:29 > 0:12:32I suffered third-degree burns down the left-hand side of my body.
0:12:36 > 0:12:39From the age of two, I have had an operation every year of my life.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42Now, at the age of 23, I'm still going for surgeries.
0:12:42 > 0:12:45I'm pregnant with my first baby, and having to go to physio,
0:12:45 > 0:12:49because my skin's not stretching. So, growing up with burns,
0:12:49 > 0:12:51it did hold me back, in certain aspects,
0:12:51 > 0:12:54but a majority of it, it actually pushed me.
0:12:54 > 0:12:58It's grew back, but it's absolutely hideous.
0:12:58 > 0:13:00'It turns out now she's expecting a baby
0:13:00 > 0:13:03'and this is a girl who thought she couldn't have a baby.'
0:13:03 > 0:13:06This wasn't going to happen for her. Now this is happening.
0:13:06 > 0:13:09This is just incredible. But believe it or not,
0:13:09 > 0:13:12her hair's started to grow back. I never thought I'd be doing this!
0:13:12 > 0:13:14My first haircut in six years! It feels strange.
0:13:14 > 0:13:18'I have special sympathy for alopecia people,
0:13:18 > 0:13:22'because it is ongoing, and it's hard for them,
0:13:22 > 0:13:23'because they've worn it on a daily basis,
0:13:23 > 0:13:26'but everything that life has thrown at her,'
0:13:26 > 0:13:29she has turned it round and I just think she's an amazing person.
0:13:33 > 0:13:36Now, this is Emily's favourite part.
0:13:36 > 0:13:40Get you in there and get your messy fingers messy!
0:13:40 > 0:13:41LAUGHTER
0:13:41 > 0:13:47'Emily has been getting chemotherapy for nine months now.'
0:13:47 > 0:13:50She has come through a really, really big journey.
0:13:50 > 0:13:52Get away down!
0:13:53 > 0:13:56- That'll test your strength today, won't it?- Mm-hm.
0:13:56 > 0:14:01'The doctors have to give you loads and loads of treatment.'
0:14:01 > 0:14:05Most of the treatment is disgusting. I hate the treatment.
0:14:05 > 0:14:07- You know you have to get it to make you better.- Yeah.
0:14:07 > 0:14:11- But you really don't like taking any of it.- If it just tastes nicer...
0:14:11 > 0:14:13It tastes like poo.
0:14:14 > 0:14:18Hair is a massive thing for a ten-year-old girl.
0:14:18 > 0:14:22Going out, flicking it about and dolling herself up.
0:14:22 > 0:14:26Then, having none, it was a massive shock for her.
0:14:28 > 0:14:33I was a real girlie girl, because I used to love playing with my hair,
0:14:33 > 0:14:38I used to love to plait it and to put it in loads of different styles.
0:14:38 > 0:14:41My hair has started to fall out again.
0:14:41 > 0:14:43I'm going to think positively,
0:14:43 > 0:14:48- because my hair grew back really fast the last time.- Yeah.
0:14:48 > 0:14:52'My sister wants it to come back ginger and my mum'
0:14:52 > 0:14:56thinks it's coming back blonde, but if it does come back blonde,
0:14:56 > 0:15:00I'm going to the hairdressers and I'm getting it dyed back
0:15:00 > 0:15:02to my original colour.
0:15:02 > 0:15:03LAUGHTER
0:15:03 > 0:15:07The one positive that Emily has taken out of all this is that she
0:15:07 > 0:15:10- can get ready quick to go anywhere. - Mm-hm.
0:15:10 > 0:15:13'Most of the time I don't want to go out when I'm taking treatment,
0:15:13 > 0:15:17'because I feel really sick. I just watch TV
0:15:17 > 0:15:19and sometimes I get really, really bored.
0:15:19 > 0:15:23Good girl. This is amazing!
0:15:23 > 0:15:29'Sometimes you have to weigh up a bit of risk and we sort of said,
0:15:29 > 0:15:31'right, we'll go with Confirmation and birthday
0:15:31 > 0:15:33'and we'll try and make a wee bit of a fuss,'
0:15:33 > 0:15:36to give her a wee bit of...
0:15:36 > 0:15:38..like, strength to keep on going.
0:15:38 > 0:15:41ALARM BEEPS
0:15:41 > 0:15:45If I stay above the shop on the days that I have to go to
0:15:45 > 0:15:48Altnagelvin it's easier. So, Altnagelvin today.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53We are all propped up in some way, shape or form.
0:15:53 > 0:15:57We all create an illusion. We all have our insecurities.
0:15:57 > 0:16:00I've always had fine hair. I'm always interested in,
0:16:00 > 0:16:04how do you make it look thicker. I've spent most of my life
0:16:04 > 0:16:08trying to get my hair... to look thicker.
0:16:08 > 0:16:12So, I wear this wee thing here. This and the make-up.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15Love it all. This is my armour. This is all armour.
0:16:15 > 0:16:19Putting on your shield. Then, brush it up.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23You just brush it all in with what you have. Two minutes puts it on.
0:16:23 > 0:16:26On in two wee clips. Just nice. Snaps it down to what I have.
0:16:28 > 0:16:30And there you go. Ready to go.
0:16:30 > 0:16:33And then, you wouldn't believe how many times during the day
0:16:33 > 0:16:37I take that off, to let other people see that I'm dealing with...
0:16:37 > 0:16:40Listen, there's nothing to fear. I wear a piece.
0:16:40 > 0:16:42I wear something. And they go, oh!
0:16:42 > 0:16:45So they know if they see me and if I look good,
0:16:45 > 0:16:47that'll give them hope that they can look good, too.
0:16:49 > 0:16:51Molly, we're going to work! Come on!
0:17:05 > 0:17:08Chemo's been really hard and I have been very sick after each one,
0:17:08 > 0:17:09actually, getting worse.
0:17:13 > 0:17:17Because fitness and exercise has always been part of my life,
0:17:17 > 0:17:21I always wanted it to be, so if I couldn't be doing anything, it
0:17:21 > 0:17:24would have been just another thing that cancer would have took from me.
0:17:26 > 0:17:31So, I wanted to continue life with some sense of normality, I suppose.
0:17:31 > 0:17:35I had... I can't keep working, so my goal is to run a 10k
0:17:35 > 0:17:39at the end of May, for Cancer Research.
0:17:40 > 0:17:44It just made me feel normal and that, OK, I have cancer,
0:17:44 > 0:17:45but I can still do this.
0:17:45 > 0:17:48It's not going to control my life or control who I am.
0:17:50 > 0:17:53I think it's very important that they keep their sport going,
0:17:53 > 0:17:56because it's great for them, it's a social thing,
0:17:56 > 0:18:00they enjoy it and it's important that they don't let any part
0:18:00 > 0:18:02of their life slip.
0:18:06 > 0:18:08We're now open for business. OK.
0:18:08 > 0:18:11Still a hospital, but we've taken the edge off it.
0:18:11 > 0:18:13We've taken the hard edges off it.
0:18:18 > 0:18:21'Obviously, when I met Theres and she gave me my wig,
0:18:21 > 0:18:24'I was like, OK, this is great, this is grand,'
0:18:24 > 0:18:28'but the wig, kind of, came with some restrictions.'
0:18:28 > 0:18:31If I'm going for a run, I'm like, I can't wear this wig,
0:18:31 > 0:18:34it's going to be ridiculous looking. And I wouldn't want to,
0:18:34 > 0:18:36I wouldn't feel comfortable, but lo and behold,
0:18:36 > 0:18:41Theres had some very ingenious ways to deal with that.
0:18:41 > 0:18:45Here we go, Sinead. Anything, we don't like, you're getting it!
0:18:45 > 0:18:47Anything we like, we'll hold on to, yeah?
0:18:50 > 0:18:53Pass marks? It's exposing your head. OK, OK, it's exposing your head.
0:18:53 > 0:18:56When Theres put it on, we were like, where, in the name of God,
0:18:56 > 0:18:58is she going with this?! It's like... It's...
0:18:58 > 0:19:03All I could do is laugh. Oh, my God. Me and Sinead just nearly
0:19:03 > 0:19:06died laughing. I was like... Oh, my God, what is this?
0:19:06 > 0:19:08I am not wearing this out of the house. Are you joking me?
0:19:08 > 0:19:10And she was like, Oh, you'll be like Daddy!
0:19:10 > 0:19:14- Daddy's hair. What? - Daddy's got a nice style.
0:19:14 > 0:19:19- This is what's known as the... - A monk's head?- ..the wee monk.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22We nicknamed that week The Monk Den, after that!
0:19:25 > 0:19:28'I was like, "Theres, I'm not putting this on," and she's like,'
0:19:28 > 0:19:31"It's going to be lovely, and we can get a hat on and...'
0:19:31 > 0:19:33She was giving it everything - "It's going to be amazing."
0:19:33 > 0:19:37- I was like, "It's really not." - You'll either shoot it down...
0:19:37 > 0:19:39- I'm shooting it down! - But the pig's nice.
0:19:39 > 0:19:41Yes, the idea of, yes, a little pig hat.
0:19:41 > 0:19:44No, like I get what you're saying. A nice plain hat.
0:19:44 > 0:19:48But once you have a hat on, it completely transforms itself
0:19:48 > 0:19:52into something that is very wearable and very comfortable,
0:19:52 > 0:19:53actually, which is good.
0:20:01 > 0:20:05I grew up as a confident young girl, with burns. It didn't faze me.
0:20:05 > 0:20:09I lost my hair and it was a fight for my life, to be truthful.
0:20:09 > 0:20:13I know people and girls have said it to me that, if they lost their hair,
0:20:13 > 0:20:15they wouldn't have got up in the morning,
0:20:15 > 0:20:17they wouldn't have went out of the house.
0:20:17 > 0:20:20- It's so nice.- It's gorgeous, isn't it?- Amazing.
0:20:20 > 0:20:21- It looks so natural, as well. - I love it.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24'There is so many girls that want to do modelling
0:20:24 > 0:20:25'and I just, sort of, gave up.
0:20:25 > 0:20:29'I thought, you know, why would they pick me?'
0:20:29 > 0:20:32And that was my mind-set for the first year of my alopecia.
0:20:32 > 0:20:34'But I just had to get over it and just get on with it.
0:20:34 > 0:20:36'I had to kick some ass.'
0:20:36 > 0:20:39I needed to get out there. It was going to kill the person I am.
0:20:39 > 0:20:44That is me. That was the way my hair was before, like, it all fell out.
0:20:44 > 0:20:47'That injury must have been horrendous at the time,
0:20:47 > 0:20:49'when it had just happened, and it was a shock'
0:20:49 > 0:20:51to see that she must have suffered a lot as a child.
0:20:51 > 0:20:57- That makes me sad.- Oh...- It does! Because you know why? I know that...
0:20:57 > 0:21:01You can imagine, that I've said already, I know, cos...
0:21:01 > 0:21:02That burn must have been some burn.
0:21:02 > 0:21:07- It was bad.- It just wasn't a wee burn. That was a very bad burn.
0:21:07 > 0:21:09When you the scars that she has lived with,
0:21:09 > 0:21:12you think, my goodness, this is a very special person here.
0:21:12 > 0:21:16Not only did she turn around, but, boy, did she turn it around?
0:21:21 > 0:21:23I kept it secret because people are mean.
0:21:23 > 0:21:26That's why I pushed myself into modelling, as well.
0:21:26 > 0:21:29I want to show everybody that every person's different
0:21:29 > 0:21:33and beauty isn't what's on your body, it's what's inside.
0:21:37 > 0:21:40It's a very strange paradox.
0:21:40 > 0:21:43Most people would say this debilitating hair loss
0:21:43 > 0:21:47is a negative. Instead of that, she actually takes it and says,
0:21:47 > 0:21:50"OK, I'm going to be a beauty queen from this." You know, hello?!
0:21:51 > 0:21:59She wears it with such style and she has such a positive outlook
0:21:59 > 0:22:02on life, and she's now, I think, she's a poster child for alopecia.
0:22:05 > 0:22:07You are who you are.
0:22:07 > 0:22:10Your personality carries you off, your smile, your laugh.
0:22:10 > 0:22:14Yes, hair does define you, until you lose it and, then, you realise,
0:22:14 > 0:22:15you know, it's not even that important.
0:22:22 > 0:22:27Race For Life is a sponsored run for Cancer Research UK.
0:22:27 > 0:22:30We just said we'd go for it and we'd give it a go, and it was like,
0:22:30 > 0:22:34yes, look, I want to run it, but if I have to walk it, I'll walk it.
0:22:34 > 0:22:36But I am going to do it.
0:22:38 > 0:22:42- Scare some wee child if they see me doing this!- No, you'll not.- I would.
0:22:42 > 0:22:45Get me hat on now. Hide it.
0:22:45 > 0:22:47Nobody in one million years would think she's going through chemo.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50They'll just think she's here running for somebody else.
0:22:50 > 0:22:53Unless my hat flies off! They'll be like, surprise!
0:22:53 > 0:22:55LAUGHTER
0:22:56 > 0:23:01It was just a beautiful day. It was absolutely gorgeous, like.
0:23:01 > 0:23:03People were gathering and the atmosphere was building up
0:23:03 > 0:23:07and there was like a board with all these tributes, I suppose,
0:23:07 > 0:23:09to why people were running.
0:23:12 > 0:23:16Cancer just affects everybody. There is no age.
0:23:16 > 0:23:19You hear this thing, you're too young to have it. You're not.
0:23:19 > 0:23:23It just really hit home that there's very few people out there now
0:23:23 > 0:23:24that aren't affected by it.
0:23:24 > 0:23:28- COMPERE:- Three, two, one, Mexican wave, make some noise! Hooray!
0:23:28 > 0:23:33Five, four, three, two, one...
0:23:33 > 0:23:35KLAXON BLARES
0:23:45 > 0:23:49The monk hair, on the whole, it was quite cool to wear
0:23:49 > 0:23:53and it just felt like my own hair in a hat, which was good,
0:23:53 > 0:23:56so I never was really worrying about what my hair looked like
0:23:56 > 0:23:58and I could just focus on trying to breathe!
0:24:01 > 0:24:05The heat was unbearable. My head was sweating, my hat was...
0:24:05 > 0:24:07It was just so hot.
0:24:08 > 0:24:11Because I knew how bad she had been feeling this time
0:24:11 > 0:24:15and for her to get up and actually still want to do it,
0:24:15 > 0:24:19never mind do it, it was amazing. I'm proud of her.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22Like, she has been amazing through this whole thing. Absolutely.
0:24:22 > 0:24:25And I couldn't be more proud of her.
0:24:27 > 0:24:31Sinead's just a breath of fresh air. She just makes me laugh
0:24:31 > 0:24:34all the time. And... Oh, God.
0:24:37 > 0:24:39(Don't get emotional.)
0:24:40 > 0:24:42I'll be going, "Oh, Sinead, I'm really tired,
0:24:42 > 0:24:45"I can't go any further," and she'll be like, "Of course you can,
0:24:45 > 0:24:47"what are you talking about? Don't be ridiculous!"
0:24:47 > 0:24:49You know, she'd make a joke out of it, you know,
0:24:49 > 0:24:52"Are you sick or something?" It was supporting each other
0:24:52 > 0:24:53all the way round.
0:24:53 > 0:24:56- COMPERE:- Congratulations to everybody. Well done!
0:24:56 > 0:24:58I got over the finish line and it was just like, I'm done,
0:24:58 > 0:25:02I'm finished. I didn't care who seen that it all came off.
0:25:02 > 0:25:05I just needed a minute to recuperate and just feel happy
0:25:05 > 0:25:07that we'd done it and relax.
0:25:07 > 0:25:10CHEERING
0:25:10 > 0:25:12I didn't actually think I would make it here.
0:25:12 > 0:25:17It's just a really big sense of accomplishment that I didn't
0:25:17 > 0:25:20let cancer hold me back from doing it.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23In many ways, it could, if you let it, but I wasn't going to.
0:25:23 > 0:25:26I just was going to do what I wanted to do, and do it my way.
0:25:32 > 0:25:37The morning of Confirmation, we had mostly everything organised.
0:25:37 > 0:25:39We have the dress, we had the hair,
0:25:39 > 0:25:44we had the invitations sent out and Emily woke up very early
0:25:44 > 0:25:47that morning, about five o'clock, feeling very sick,
0:25:47 > 0:25:54and it just put... It just brought reality into the house, that we were
0:25:54 > 0:25:56not a normal family that could organise things
0:25:56 > 0:25:59and just get on with things. We had a very sick little girl.
0:26:02 > 0:26:06This time, she's just completely wiped, so it's so rubbish for her.
0:26:06 > 0:26:08She has spent most of today in bad.
0:26:10 > 0:26:14We're just going to play it as it goes.
0:26:17 > 0:26:22So, we started making plans to unplan the plan.
0:26:22 > 0:26:26And... That was... That was it.
0:26:31 > 0:26:34About four o'clock, she just got out of bed and she came into
0:26:34 > 0:26:36me and says," Mummy, you know what? I think I will go.
0:26:36 > 0:26:38"I think I'm going to be all right."
0:26:41 > 0:26:45I'm getting my nails painted, to look pretty for my Confirmation.
0:26:47 > 0:26:48I'm very excited.
0:26:51 > 0:26:54'Once she got that on, she just felt normal,
0:26:54 > 0:26:56'and the sickness disappeared and she felt happy.'
0:26:58 > 0:27:03'We got Emily all dressed up and her hair was absolutely beautiful.'
0:27:03 > 0:27:07- Oh, you are gorgeous!- Oh, Emily, that is gorgeous. I love it.
0:27:07 > 0:27:08How do you feel?
0:27:08 > 0:27:11- Like a princess.- Like a princess!
0:27:23 > 0:27:26And it was just so emotional watching her,
0:27:26 > 0:27:30doing the things that any ten-year-old little girl
0:27:30 > 0:27:32should be doing.
0:27:38 > 0:27:41Nobody took notice that I was wearing a wig
0:27:41 > 0:27:44and that was really nice for me.
0:27:46 > 0:27:50She just was back in the limelight, being... Doing what Emily does best,
0:27:50 > 0:27:53just shining and sparkling.
0:27:56 > 0:28:00It's all about creating memories and life is about creating memories.
0:28:00 > 0:28:03For us to get Emily looking good that day and that she could go along
0:28:03 > 0:28:05with all her friends and just blend with the crowd
0:28:05 > 0:28:08and be one of the girls... Wow.
0:28:08 > 0:28:12ALL: # Happy birthday to you. #
0:28:12 > 0:28:15CHEERING
0:28:15 > 0:28:19We knew that confirmation was a risk and...nothing happened!
0:28:21 > 0:28:22Thankfully.
0:28:31 > 0:28:36My goal is to get all my hair back and to get back to normal life.
0:28:37 > 0:28:39CHEERING