Mom lost hair to cancer, so her 6 and 8-year-old hatched a secret plan to support her in silence

Seeing a parent suffer from a life-threatening illness can be very hard for a child. So, to make things a little easier for their mom, two young girls did something special when she lost her hair because of her cancer treatment. The girls were 6 and 8 years old at the time of the incident and might not remember it, according to their mom. But the woman could still remember the joy of the incident for all three of them, per a video by Laura K, who goes by @laura_lives_on on Instagram.

"In 2018, when I was bald from my chemo, my girls asked me if I would take them shopping," Laura recounted. "They brought their own money and whispered to each other the entire way to the store." The girls had decided that they would buy matching hats like their mother. "On the way to lunch, they put their hats on and each tucked their hair inside their hats." At lunch, they told her, "Now we all looked bald and nobody would even notice I was sick." The girls weren't even 10 years old when their mom had a stem cell transplant, so Laura was not sure if they even remembered that day clearly.

"But it's no big deal, because I can still remember the joy of that day enough for all three of us," the mom expressed. "I was away from my daughters for nearly a month when I was inpatient at Northwestern Medicine, having a stem cell transplant," Laura wrote in the caption. "My daughters were 6 and 8, just young enough to still want their mama all of the time, but also old enough to understand that their mama was very sick." She added, "I’ll never forget this day. It wasn’t just about the hats. It was about my girls doing what was within their power to love me and show me how much they cared."

The memory becomes essential because a parent's diagnosis can have a huge impact on the family's dynamics and a child's mental health, according to the National Library of Medicine. A child's response to their parent falling ill can significantly vary depending on their age and the stage of the illness. It can be especially hard for families with young children. However, good communication and supportive family dynamics that take everyone's emotional and mental needs into consideration can be a good practice to help the family adapt to a new situation and get through it.

Another family was struggling to come to terms with a mom's terminal cancer diagnosis. It was especially hard for their 15-year-old, Trey, who learned about his mom's diagnosis and lost his beloved Doberman soon after that. However, the mom, author Elisa Beth Magagna (@elisabethmagagna), shared on TikTok that her son had wanted a Maine Coon cat for a while and hoped to save up for one as it'd be his very first pet and not just a "family pet." Unfortunately, he could save only $300, whereas the cat costs around $3500. He promised that he would work to pay off the remaining amount and take the best care of the cat. But to his surprise, he was given the cat for free. He just had to "keep good grades and take extra, extra great care of him." The mom was glad that her son could have some happiness in the middle of such devastating loss.

You can follow Laura K (@laura_lives_on) on Instagram for more family-related content.