OKEECHOBEE — Rather than wait for her hair to fall out on its own, a Buckhead Ridge woman hosted a get-together April 5 for her friends and asked them to help her shave her head. Sandy Thomas said a close friend, Joyce, immediately offered to shave her own head in solidarity when Thomas discovered she had breast cancer. “Absolutely not,” said Thomas. “I didn’t want anyone to do anything that extreme just because they are my friends.”

 Thomas moved to the Okeechobee area from Jupiter almost 13 years ago. They moved here after a former employer told her about the town. “We came to visit her in Buckhead and fell in love with it.”

Thomas lost her husband last October, and just a few months later, Thomas discovered she had breast cancer. Her husband, George, had lung and liver cancer. It was already stage four when they discovered it, and he only lived 14 months after the discovery. 

Despite having a mammogram every year since turning 40, Thomas chose to put off her last one, telling herself they weren’t as important for her now at 77 years of age. “Then, I just happened to see what looked like a small bruise on my breast. When I touched it, I felt a lump and was at the doctor the next day.

She will have chemo for 12 weeks and then will have surgery. After surgery, they will let her know what the plan will be. She had her first chemo appointment the first week of April and a close friend, Karen Noel, drove her over and sat through seven long hours of waiting. “She brought a book and said she would be fine,” said Thomas. “I tried to get her to leave and go shopping, but she sat there the whole time.”

After her friend offered to shave her own head, Thomas came up with a plan that would allow her friends to keep their hair and still help her stay strong. She invited all her friends over for a BBQ/party and during the party, her friends helped her shave her head instead of their own.

She was pleasantly surprised to see quite a few of her friends show up, as she thought many might be busy that day. They each drew a number to determine who would cut the first strip of hair. “I didn’t want to lose my hair gradually. I wanted it to be my decision.”

Known as the "hat lady" in her circles, Thomas already has visors with hair attached. She ordered a few more. Each one has a different hair style and color.

Thomas said she wants people to know she wears a mask for her own protection, and you cannot catch cancer.

An avid fisherman, Thomas enjoys taking her boat out regularly. Thomas’ dog often accompanies her on her fishing trips. Sissy is part Lab and part Greyhound and has been a member of the family for 12 years. “All of my friends love her and tell me they have dibs on Sissy if anything happens to me. Of course, this was before I knew I had cancer.”

A long-time Moose Lodge member, Thomas can often be found playing bingo or tending bar. A bartender for 55 years, sheenjoys keeping her hand in, “I love it. I just love it.”

Thomas considers herself a homemaker even though she is now alone. She enjoys baking even though she doesn't eat sweets and made a cake for her party. On Sundays, several friends gather at her house for a game of poker. They take a break in the middle so she can feed them.

Thomas wants readers to take two things away from her story:

• Don’t let your friends shave their heads for you. That’s too much to ask of anyone. Let them shave your head if they want to.
• Cancer is not something you can catch.