Tenterfield woman Tamara Stewart shaved her head on wedding night to raise money for former teacher diagnosed with breast cancer

A Queensland woman’s wedding night was made extra special as she shaved her head to raise money for a beloved former teacher who lost everything in the 2022 Ballina floods before a cancer diagnosis earlier this year.

It’s hard to imagine the extent of the physical pain caused by cancer, let alone the accompanying psychological stress.

Losing your hair is a choice not of your own and can be quite a confronting experience, forcing us to realise the role our hair plays in forming our identity.

When Tamara Stewart made the selfless decision to shave her hip length hair she’d grown out over the past five years for breast cancer awareness, it was a confronting experience.

“It actually made me quite upset in the lead up (to shaving my head) because I started to consider what it must be like for (cancer patients) who don’t get the choice and made me realise what they have to go through,” she said.

“I’m choosing to shave my hair off because I want to, not because I have to.

“It wasn’t until it was all gone that I realised just how much of a role our hair plays in (making up) our identity.”

Mrs Stewart always had the intention to shave her hair off and donate it to cancer research once it was long enough, but the breast cancer diagnosis of a beloved former teacher gave her all the more reason.

Tenterfield woman Tamara Stewart spent five years growing her hair out for it to be shaved off and donated to cancer research.

In May 2023 she started a fundraiser with the proceeds dedicated to her former Middlemount Community School teacher Mellissa Evans, who after losing all of her belongings in the 2022 Ballina floods was then burdened with the diagnosis of breast cancer earlier this year.

“I always had the intention of shaving my hair off and it was part of my conditions when I agreed to marry my now husband that I would shave it off on our wedding night,” she said.

“I also wanted to do it on my wedding night in the hopes it would encourage more people to donate (to the fundraiser).”

Tenterfield woman Tamara Stewart selflessly shaved her head to raise money for her beloved former teacher who was diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this year.

Mrs Stewart said she was incredibly humbled by local barber Justin from Bush Whackers Barber in Tenterfield to shave her head on the night free of charge.

“I had put a post up on one of the Tenterfield group pages on Facebook asking if anyone would be willing to let me borrow their clippers for the night and Justin saw it and offered to shave my head himself,” she said.

“He insisted to do it for free, so I took my boys down to get their haircut at his shop before the wedding.

“He actually suggested we get the boys involved on the night so they didn’t wake up the next day to see their mum with no hair.”

Tamara’s three young sons, her husband and family each had a turn of cutting off a section of her hair before it was shaved.

It was a family affair when Tamara Stewart graciously had her head shaved on her wedding night to raise money for her former teacher who was diagnosed with breast cancer.

“My oldest boy, who’s five, will often say to me ‘remember that time you looked like a princess and we got to cut your hair’, they really loved being part of the experience,” she said.

The initial shock of seeing herself with no hair felt quite emotional for Tamara, not realising just how much it would affect her self confidence.

“It did take quite a few days after for me to be able to go out without wearing a hat and it was something I didn’t really consider in the lead up, just how much it would affect my self confidence,” she said.

Tenterfield woman Tamara Stewart bravely had her head shaved on her wedding night, to raise money for her beloved former teacher who was diagnosed with breast cancer this year.

Tamara’s hair has now been donated to the variety charity to be made into a wig, with the fundraiser having raised almost $4000.

The fundraiser to support Mellissa Evans through her cancer journey is still active for anyone wanting to donate and can be found here.