A CARING family is ‘Braving the Shave’ for Macmillan Cancer Support next month after a mother of five was diagnosed with incurable cancer.

Gemma York, 37, from Penryn was diagnosed with stage four follicular lymphoma in September of this year.

After the initial shock subsided, the family rallied round and Gemma and four others have all volunteered to have their heads shaved for Macmillan Cancer Support.

Husband Edd, 35, mum and dad Teresa, 57, and Malcolm Kendall, 58, and sister Lianne Mcgougan, 35, will all be going bald at The Kings Bar in Penryn on November 2 at 12 noon.

Lianne, who is a qualified hairdresser, will also be donating 40cm of her blonde hair to the Little Princess Trust, who provide real hair wigs to children and young people with hair loss.

“I will be doing the cutting because I’m a qualified hairdresser,” she said. “Also I am getting my sister to cut my hair which is being donated to the Little Princess Trust. Then my head is being shaved.”

Writing on her Brave the Shave page on the Macmillan Cancer Support website Gemma said:

“After being diagnosed with stage 4 follicular lymphoma in September of this year my first thought was to my family my husband and my five children.

“It was a shock diagnosis that’s for sure! Follicular lymphoma is highly treatable but not cureable. Which means we will always play a waiting game with cancer; waiting for treatment to shrink it waiting for it to grow back.

She added: “Chemo is hard, cancer is hard. It’s hard for those of us fighting a battle you can’t see, it’s hard for a family who watch you get sick or struggle with daily tasks, it’s hard for friends that are unsure how to support you.”

She has currently had two cycles of combined therapy which has seen her hair thinning out, so she decided to ‘brave the shave’ rather than wait for it all to fall out.

“I want to thank all my family friends the Headland Unit at Treliske and everyone who sponsors me. I have been overwhelmed by the supportive messages, the checking how I’m getting on and just the generally feeling of being there for each other.”

You can donate to Gemma’s cause at bravetheshave.macmillan.org.uk and search for Gemma York