My 17-Year-Old Son Shaved His Head for His Sick Girlfriend – The Next Day, Her Mother Said, ‘You Need to Come to the Hospital.
My son was growing into a nice, kind young guy, and I’ve always been proud of that. I began to doubt everything I believed to be true about him after receiving an unexpected phone call.
Just when I had begun to cherish it, the morning was commonplace. For the third time in ten minutes, I stood at the kitchen sink and listened to my kid dig through the cupboard while the September sunshine spilled on the counter.
By the time I was 39, I had discovered that tranquility is typically silent and frequently a gift.Did you conceal the granola bars once more, mom?
Somewhere behind the cereal boxes, Aaron’s voice could be heard.
I have discovered that stillness is typically a sign of peace.
My 17-year-old kid has always been one of the most compassionate people I have ever met.
He appeared to be packing for a trip as he held open a plastic bag.”They’re always on the second shelf,” I remarked. “Who eats four granola bars?”The chocolate ones are Lily’s favorite. Aaron remarked nonchalantly, “The hospital food is terrible,” in the same manner that other children might bring up a coffee run.
He had a plastic bag open in his hand.
After drying my hands, I observed him packing the suitcase with the same meticulous attention to detail that he had previously shown to his Lego sets.
That’s how Aaron had always been. Good grades, trouble-free, the kind of boy who intervenes when someone else is in pain, and who observes when a child eats alone at lunch.
I was ecstatic when I contacted Diane the night my son began dating Lily a year ago.
For more than ten years, Diane has been one of my best pals. My son and her daughter, in particular, had practically grown up together.
That’s how Aaron had always been.
Diane and I feigned not to see when Aaron first held Lily’s hand during a backyard cookout last summer, and we spent an hour in the kitchen laughing and squealing like schoolgirls!
Both of us were ecstatic! It was clear how much our kids cared for one another and how well they got along.
Then everything was different.
My son’s girlfriend received a cancer diagnosis four months ago.
I feigned not to notice, as did Diane.
One day, Lily and Aaron were debating prom themes, discussing weekend dates and college plans, and the next, she was spending time in treatment centers and hospitals. Lily was usually spotted with a port in her chest while seated in a treatment chair.
Everyone was devastated by the news, but my kid was particularly affected. I could tell how painful it was for him to see someone he cared about suffer through something he was unable to stop.
He never withdrew, though.
Aaron and Lily got into a fight one day.
Every day that he could, Aaron went to see his girlfriend, brought her favorite snacks, assisted her with her schoolwork, watched horrible movies with her, and spent endless hours at her side till she went to sleep.Are you returning today? Even though I already knew, I asked.My son zipped the bag and remarked, “She’s having a hard week.” “I told her I’d be there by four.”
I went for my coffee after nodding.”You’re returning today?”Inform Diane that I said hello. I told my son that she hardly responded to my text message from yesterday.
Aaron hesitated for a brief moment.Mom, she’s exhausted.”I am aware, sweetie.”
However, I had observed.
For weeks, my best friend’s responses had decreased. A thumbs-up in place of the paragraph. A “k” in place of a phone call. I convinced myself that it was the lack of sleep, the stress, and the chemotherapy schedules.
Grieving mothers don’t owe anyone small conversation, after all.She hardly responded in writing.
Aaron took his keys and planted a kiss on the top of my head, which still felt beautiful and brand-new.”Drive cautiously,” I advised.”Always.”
From the window, I observed him getting into his old Civic.
The home felt quieter than it should have as the automobile drove away. I became aware that something had been developing for some time. I simply had no idea what it was.
From the window, I observed him.
Then the effects of Lily’s therapies became apparent.
Her hair started to fall out. Everyone could see how much it upset her, even though she made an effort to be bold about it.
Something else changed while I was still figuring out how much the shift affected Diane and her daughter.
I heard Aaron’s footsteps on the stairs one evening as I was folding laundry in the living room. The rhythm was altered in some way—it was slower and more deliberate. The basket fell out of my hands as I looked up!
The effects of Lily’s therapies became apparent.
My son had shaved his entire head! Smooth, pale, and strange in the lamplight, but neither buzzed short nor clipped.””Aaron,” I sighed as he descended the stairs. “What did you do?”
Almost shyly, he ran a hand over his scalp.I anticipated a slight panic in you.”A tiny bit? Your hair, honey! Why? Before I could stop myself, I moved closer and reached up, feeling the weird, cool skin where his curls once were.”What did you do?”
Aaron stayed put. With those unwavering brown eyes that had always appeared older than his years, he simply observed me.He whispered, “Mom, Lily is losing hers in clumps now.” “She tried to laugh about it last week, but I caught her crying in the bathroom when she thought I’d gone to get coffee.”
My throat constricted. I put my hand down.”I just wanted her to know that beauty isn’t in her hair,” he continued. and that she is not alone in any of this. I will too, if she is going to look like this. That’s all.
For a moment, I was unable to speak.
Aaron stayed put.
I simply glanced at my teenage son, who had discovered something that most adults spend their entire lives attempting to comprehend.”Aaron, you’re a good kid,” I replied at last, my voice catching. “You’re a really, really good kid.”
He shrugged, seemingly hoping I wouldn’t take it too seriously.I’m going to bed. Tomorrow is going to be a long day.””After school, are you seeing her?”Yes. I was given the afternoon off from practice by the coach.
I stood in the center of the living room, gazing at the laundry on the floor as I watched him climb back upstairs.Do you hang out with her after school?
I was bursting at the seams with pride!
It was among the most endearing things I had ever saw him do.
I assumed that would be the end of it. I did, in fact.
My phone buzzed against the marble countertop as I sat in the living room the following afternoon, writing an email I didn’t want to write. The screen flashed up with Diane’s name. Before responding, I grinned. I assumed she had already met Aaron and was phoning to let me know how adorable he was.
It was among the most delightful things.”Hey, you,” I said kindly. Has he arrived yet? I ought to have cautioned you. “How is Lily? I nearly dropped a basket of clothes when I saw him.”Rachel,” Diane abruptly interrupted me in a stiff, flat voice. Unlike the Diane I was familiar with. My heart began to beat more quickly.Is everything well, Di? “Is Lily?”Lily is doing well. I heard her breath tremble as she hesitated. “Rachel, you must visit the hospital so you can witness what your kid did. I’m not sure how to feel about it. Just come, please.”
The living room’s atmosphere vanished. I held onto the counter’s edge.I ought to have cautioned you.How did you do it? “Diane, please talk to me,” I said in a panic.Come on over. Please. This is not something I can do over the phone.”
The call ended.
With the phone still in my ear, I stood there thinking about all the possible outcomes that may have occurred in a hospital room. Without my coat, I reached for my car keys.
My hands were trembling on the steering wheel the entire way over.This is not something I can do over the phone.”
With my car keys firmly gripped in my fist, I entered the hospital too quickly as the automated doors slid open.
When I got there, Diane was waiting in the hallway with her arms folded across her chest. She didn’t even say hi or smile.Rachel. Join me.
I trailed behind her down the corridor, past a cart of folded blankets, and past the nurses’ station.
I had a dry mouth.Just tell me, Diane, please. Is Lily alright? Has Aaron said anything? “What took place?”Without slowing down, she remarked, “He crossed a line.”Come along with me.One line? My kid shaved his head for your daughter, Diane. His actions were motivated by love.
I nearly ran into my friend because she stopped so abruptly. Her jaw was set, but her eyes were red.Rachel, it’s not just about shaving. That’s what he did after that.For months, Aaron has hardly slept. He brings her soup. He does his homework on his lap when sitting in waiting areas.””Lily is a private girl,” she yelled, lowering her voice to avoid being overheard. “Everyone on the oncology floor is now speaking. Everybody has a viewpoint. Everybody has a tale to tell about my kid.I nearly ran into her.
My own rage began to flare up, foreign and heated between us.You called me as though something horrible had occurred. I don’t even want to describe what I was thinking when I drove here, but I thought she was…Perhaps you ought to have taught Aaron to consider his actions before acting.
Stunned, I took a step back.Diane, don’t do that. Don’t put this on him. He is a young child attempting to adore your daughter despite the worst thing that has ever happened to her.
She quickly blinked and turned her head away.My own temper began to flare up.
A trolley rocked by. Somewhere down the corridor, a doctor’s pager beeped.”You don’t comprehend,” my closest friend remarked, becoming more subdued. “If you just see it, it’s simpler. Standing here, I am unable to explain it. I sounded crazy when I tried on the phone.Then, along the road, assist me in understanding. because even after twenty years of knowing you, I still don’t recognize you.”
Diane’s shoulders lowered slightly.Rachel, for weeks. I’ve been seeing him come in here and make her sit up, laugh, and eat for weeks. She refuses to drink water even though I am standing at the foot of her bed.You’re not understanding.”
I gazed at her.Diane…”My daughter is ecstatic when Aaron arrives with snacks. She simply rolls over when I bring her her favorite blanket from when she was six.”I defended my son by saying, “That isn’t his fault.””I am aware of that,” my pal muttered. “I am aware of that. However, being aware of it doesn’t help the pain go away.
She swiftly wiped her cheeks with the back of her palm, seemingly upset that her own tears had appeared.And he did something today, and I was unable to even… I was unable to locate the words on the phone.She simply flips over.
With her shoes squeaking on the shiny floor, Diane began to walk again, this time more quickly. I maintained my speed.She remarked, almost to herself, “I’ve been envious of a 17-year-old boy.” “I’ve been envious of him since I can’t do what he can. Are you familiar with the feeling? to be angry with the person who is providing for your child?”
I was at a loss for words. She gave me a brief moment to hold her elbow before releasing it.Diane, that’s not who you are.””It’s who I’ve been,” she sighed. “And I hate it.”
We came to a halt before Room 412.I’ve felt envious.
Inside, there was genuine, startled, gasping laughter! I hadn’t heard Lily giggle like that in months!
Diane touched the door. Her eyes were wet when she finally turned to face me.She muttered, “I tried to convince myself that he was making her into a spectacle.”But, Diane, pay attention to her. I said, “He’s returning her to herself.
Her voice broke.I can now hear it.
I held my breath as I went through the door after she pulled it open.
At last, she turned to face me.
I froze as soon as I stepped inside.
Lily was clutching her stomach as Aaron sat next to her bed and they both burst out laughing. And behind him, a dozen boys with newly shaven heads were arranged in the hallway like an impossibly long parade.
Two of Aaron’s professors, the entire soccer team, and even the young hospital chaplain were all smiling and massaging his bare scalp!”Come see, come see,” Nurse Maria said, raising her phone and gesturing to me.
The entire time, she had been filming.
I froze as soon as I stepped inside.
They appeared in the room one by one on the video.
Coach Daniels bowed theatrically and knelt. Lily clapped, her eyes glowing in a way I hadn’t seen in months, her thin hands shaking.You carried out all of this? Silently, I asked Aaron.
He gave a shrug. “I’ve been inquiring for a few weeks. Everyone agreed. All they wanted was for me to go first.
I looked across at Diane. Tears were running down her face, and her arms had fallen to her sides.She muttered, “I couldn’t say it on the phone.” “I made an effort. I was unable to complete the speech as I kept thinking, “Look what your son did.”Diane, “I said, moving closer to my friend.”Rachel, I’ve been so envious of him. He simply goes in, and she becomes animated once more as I sit there powerless.”
In the entryway, I drew her into my arms. I grabbed on tighter as she sobbed onto my shoulder.”We’re not competitors,” I remarked. “We’re in this together.”
When Lily’s scans were returned six weeks later, a miracle had occurred: the treatment was effective!We are not competitors.
That evening, Diane and I watched the sun set while sipping tea on my porch.
Soft, black spots of Aaron’s hair were sprouting back. Lily’s was, too.
I used to believe that I was raising a decent boy. I came to the realization that day in the hospital that my son had quietly developed into a decent young man, and he had brought the rest of us along.
