Hello all,

My 6yo cousin was diagnosed with leukaemia (ALL) on Friday. We're feeling horrified, but pulling together to support each other. She's a tough kid, and we're so fortunate that research and treatment is where it is today.

I've been doing all I can to support her most immediate family, but I'm looking for some advice on how to support her.

As she's so young, she hasn't fully grasped what is happening to her, and how this will affect her over the next couple of months and years of her life. She's started on chemo, and we've been told that she'll lose her hair.

This is largely where I'm looking for advice. When I found out, without missing a beat, I realised I'm prepared to shave my hair off so she isn't alone in this loss of hair, however, it has been mentioned to me that at her age, this mightn't be the most helpful thing.

I'm 22, and also female. Just before Christmas, I had my hair cut to my shoulders, and my cousin was obsessed with it! She had also recently began learning how to tie her own hair up, and would not stop trying to tie mine up too (because it was different, and she's "not had a go" on hair like mine!).

It is this which leads me to think, maybe she would like to have another person's hair to play with? Maybe she would benefit from everyone else looking "normal"? Or would she prefer having someone that has their hair (or lack of) like her?

She's always excited to see me, and is interested in what I do etc. but she's never been the type of kid who is quick to copy; she likes to figure things out herself.

I guess I'm just hoping that someone out there has had similar thoughts and experiences. I just want to do what's going to be best for this little girl who I love so dearly.

I plan to do what I can to support other families who may not be so fortunate as to have as positive an outlook as us. I'm so sorry to admit that it took this affecting me so closely to give me the final push to book an appointment to give blood, and finally stop procrastinating registering myself on the stem cell register. 
 

Thank you so much in advance for any advice, or for just reading this - please let me know if you have any other suggestions for ways I can support her, too, I'd really appreciate it. Big love to all who need it right now x