2024-10-05 17:27:02
Their names are Karine, Claire, Amélie or Déborah. They are between 30 and 55 years old and have one thing in common: being affected by breast cancer. On this Saturday afternoon, October 5, the Gang of Shaved Heads, an association led by Caroline Bellegarde, Clara Lecuelle-Magnan and Solange Rigat-Bouillé, returns to its roots: it was in Marseille that, in July 2021, the the first parade of the “gang” which has since been exported to Lille, Bordeaux and Nice.
“In 2021, I was on chemo, I had a shaved head and I wanted to be proud of myself by walking down the street, without being afraid of people’s gazestestifies Caroline Bellegarde. I just wanted to be able to wear a party dress and throw my wig in the air!” Clara Lecuelle-Magnan completes: “She took off her wig and only received kind looks.“From this postulate the idea of this parade was born. Yesterday afternoon, the carpet – pink for the occasion – was deployed on the asphalt of the Escale Borély, at the foot of the Ferris wheel.
In front of their families and passers-by, the first to face the public is Fanny. And while the sound system launches “Be careful, under my breast the pomegranate“, Clara Luciani’s flagship title, 23 other women follow her one by one. Their hair more or less short but without hesitation. When they cross each other on the knot of the pink October ribbon placed on the ground, they high-five each other. hands, hug or even greet each other by “twerking”.
“The incredible word that we discover during a breast cancer journey is sorority. It means that a woman who has experienced the same thing as us will understand us“, adds Clara Lecuelle-Magnan. “Femininity is about more than looks. Yes, beauty is in courage and the will to live after an ordeal“, greets the first assistant (EELV) Michèle Rubirola, who came to salute the initiative with the elected officials of the town hall of the 6th-8th.
As she passed the crowd of 150 people, Anita, 34, grabbed her two breasts and shouted: “Get tested!“Beyond the moment of hope and solidarity experienced by the models of the day, the objective of the Gang of Shaved Heads is to raise awareness of the need for breast cancer screening as early as possible. Professional doctor, responsible for health at town hall, Michèle Rubirola notes: “Cancers, such as breast cancer, strike more and more often before the age of 40.” This is the age currently recommended for the first screening mammogram.
During the second visit, in an evening dress and with a wig on her head this time, Caroline Bellegarde lists for each of the women the typologies of cancer which affected them (triple negatives, metastatic cancer, hormone-dependent, HER2…), the way from which they discovered their illness (self-examination, mammogram, hospitalization, etc.) and the stage of their treatment.
A few tears roll down the cheeks of the 24 heroines of the day, huddled next to a white barn which serves as dressing and makeup dressing rooms. In a few moments, during the final passage, they will throw their wigs in the air. For them, the fight continues. Together.
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