A brave little girl who was diagnosed with leukaemia and lost all her long blonde curly hair during chemotherapy has had her hair cut for the first time since finishing her treatment.

The Comet: Tiggy Smallwood lost all her hair during chemotherapy treatment. Picture: courtesy of Jasmin Julia Gupta.Tiggy Smallwood lost all her hair during chemotherapy treatment. Picture: courtesy of Jasmin Julia Gupta. (Image: Archant)

Six-year-old Tiggy Smallwood was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in July 2015 and endured more than two years of treatment, finishing in September last year.

Now, she has visited Cancer Hair Care on Middle Row in Stevenage – a charity founded in 2011 by Jasmin Julia Gupta to help people who have suffered hair loss due to chemotherapy – and has had her new hair growth trimmed for the first time.

Her mum Sam, 42, who grew up in Stevenage, said: “When your child has cancer you are living in crisis, and my Tiggy was just four when she bravely faced cancer and hair loss.

“Tiggy had beautiful long blonde curly hair before being diagnosed and it was traumatic for her to lose her hair when she started treatment.

“Having her hair cut for the first time since it has started to grow back was a big step for her back to normality.

“Services like Cancer Hair Care are so important because they are able to give the right specialist advice on managing hair loss and regrowth post-treatment. They really understand what you are going through and can support you at every stage.

“Cancer Hair Care has supported Tiggy throughout her hair loss experience.”

Jasmin, 42, said: “It’s such a pleasure to cut a child’s hair and help sculpt their confidence.

“Tiggy has beautiful golden curls that are getting longer and straighter. I know she dreams of her long hair back, so I trimmed little bits off and showed Tiggy and her mum how to care for her hair.

“Most of all, I looked deep into her beautiful eyes and said, ‘Tiggy, your hair is very clever and it is growing beautifully and knows just what to do. Well done.’”

Cancer Hair Care is currently looking for hairdressers with a minimum of five years’ experience. There are a number of paid and volunteer roles available. For more information, email support@cancerhaircare.com.

Cancer Hair Care offers free services and support to children and adults before, during and after cancer treatments. For more information, visit www.cancerhaircare.com.