Woman shaves hair off to mark 10 years cancer free raising vital funds for Cancer Research UK

A South Shields woman who marked 10 years cancer free shaved her hair off to raise funds for Cancer Research UK.

Janet Bruce took part in a charity head shave which has seen her raise over £2,300 for Cancer Research UK through online donations, raffles and the charity event itself.

Janet is part of cancer fundraising group 'Lavender Lasses' who host charity events to raise funds for Cancer Research UK.

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The seven ladies who make up the group started fundraising after Janet went through treatment for breast cancer and the Lavender Lasses were formed in January 2017. Since then the group has raised just over £60,000.

The 56-year old underwent treatment 10 years ago when a lifetime trip around the world was cut short due to Janet feeling tired and unwell.

She returned home for a doctor's appointment and after discovering a lump in her breast she was sent to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Gateshead.

Tests later revealed Janet had stage three breast cancer and treatment was needed to cure the cancer.

Janet had lymph nodes removed, underwent chemotherapy which caused her to lose her hair and had to take medication 'Tamoxifen'.

Janet said: "My hair has been growing back since I had the chemo treatment so it had got to a good length to cut off.

"We had a think about what we could to generate interest for the charity night and that's when I came up with the head shave.

"Last time I lost all my hair to the chemo, I was totally bald. It made me realise that hair doesn't define you as person so I decided I'd shave it all off."

Following the treatment Janet has been able to continue her travelling journey around parts of South and Central America. The charity event which took place at The Steamboat in South Shields featuring The Blue-Moon Band saw many come along to support the head shave and help raise funds for the charity.

Online donations can still be made to the cause by visiting https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/page/janet-braves-the-shave

Hilary Jago, Janet Bruce, Alex Watson, Susan O'Brien, Jo Dix, Billie-Jean Morris & Alison Young are the ladies who form the 'Lavender Lasses'.

To find out more about the work they do search 'Lavender Lasses fundraising for Cancer Research UK' on Facebook.

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