Locks lost, but charity cash raised

LCdr Judith Harlock, Joint Personnel Support Unit Commanding Officer (centre), is joined by Petty Officer Second Class Shanna Foster (left) and Sergeant Stephanie Henry after participating in Operation Chrome Dome Part II.

LCdr Judith Harlock, Joint Personnel Support Unit Commanding Officer (centre), is joined by Petty Officer Second Class Shanna Foster (left) and Sergeant Stephanie Henry after participating in Operation Chrome Dome Part II.

Peter Mallett, Staff Writer ~

Three women from the Integrated Personnel Support Centre (IPSC) went under the barber’s sheers and scissors in support of cancer fundraiser Operation Chrome Dome, Part II.

On Dec. 14, 2017, Lieutenant Commander Judith Harlock, Joint Personnel Support Unit (JPSU) Commanding Officer, once again went cue-ball bald following $4,900 in pledges raised to support the BC Cancer Agency and the Gord Downie Fund For Cancer Research through the National Defence Workplace Charitable Campaign (NDWCC).

The inaugural head shaving in 2016 was not only a fundraiser, but also a show of support by LCdr Harlock for her co-worker Petty Officer Second Class Fiona Borland, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2016.

PO2 Borland, the organizer of the charity event, eventually went on to beat the disease by undergoing surgery and chemotherapy, but wanted to keep Chrome Dome going.

Chrome Dome II had a different twist. Two other volunteers, Sergeant Stephanie Henry and PO2 Shanna Foster agreed to climb into the barber’s chair. Unlike LCdr Harlock, they opted to cut their long hair and donate it to the children’s cancer charity Wigs For Kids, which provides wigs for children undergoing cancer treatment.

With eyes pointed upwards towards their scalps, the pair winced and grimaced as Angela Smith of Fusion Hair Works collected their locks with a group of approximately 20 co-workers cheering them on.

LCdr Harlock’s much shorter hair wasn’t long enough to be used for a wig and there was little angst from her as Smith’s clippers cut away.

LCdr Harlock said she was “more than happy” to sport a more radical look again this year.

“Hair grows back quickly,” she declared, while emphasizing the overall take away from Chrome Dome was the importance of early cancer screening.

PO2 Borland conducted a life-saving self-examination on herself, noticed a lump in her breast, and was able to seek early treatment.

“Get yourself checked for cancer, that’s the overall message and it’s what saved the life of my friend Fiona,” said LCdr Harlock. “I have practiced what I preach and get checked out and am encouraging others to do so. It’s an all-encompassing message and doesn’t have just one target audience and is not gender specific.”

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