Bald TikTok star who beat stage 4 cancer shares ‘positivity’ with hairstyles made from strawberry laces and googly eyes
A bald woman who beat stage 4 cancer has become a TikTok sensation by creating outrageous hairstyles with wacky items such as strawberry laces and googly eyes – sharing “positivity” and awareness with almost 700,000 followers.
Shell Rowe, a film and TV student from Essex, became a viral sensation after she started posting videos on TikTok about her cancer journey.
Shell, whose videos include funny clips of her sticking objects such as popcorn and glitter to her head, said: “I could not have gotten through my treatment without Teenage Cancer Trust so I wanted to do some kind of fundraiser or campaign to give back to them.
“My hairstyles videos have taken off on TikTok and I thought it was a great way to raise awareness, money and have some fun with it.
Shell’s cancer journey began in August 2019 when a large lump appeared in her neck, accompanied by numerous other lumps, spurring her to go to the doctor.
“Looking back, there were other symptoms too, such as really bad fatigue and night sweats, but it wasn’t until I noticed the lumps that I went to my GP,” she said.
Shell was diagnosed with stage 4 non-Hodgkin lymphoma which, according to the NHS, is a type of cancer that develops in the lymphatic system – a network of vessels and glands throughout the body.
“One of my first thoughts, when I heard the word cancer, was that I knew I was going to lose my hair,” she said.
She went on: “I started chemo within a week of being diagnosed and before long my hair started falling out in clumps in the shower.
“It was really traumatic losing it because I ended up getting sepsis and a bowel infection and I was really unwell. I went into hospital as my hair first started falling out.
She added: “I always recommend now that people shave their hair before it falls out because it gives you a little bit of control.”
Since the shave, Shell says she has grown to love her new look.
She added: “I’m hoping through my videos, I can help other people experience that same self-acceptance.”
It was not until March 2020, when Shell’s cancer relapsed that she started to document her experiences on TikTok.
Shell began posting regularly on her account and was shocked by the overwhelming response from viewers.
“I still remember the first time one of my videos blew up,” she said.
She added: “I was sat with my girlfriend when I posted it and we watched it get 100 likes within the first 10 minutes and we were so excited.
“I was just so shocked and it was the first time I saw strangers commenting that they were going through a similar thing to me.
Shell relapsed again in June 2021 and, undergoing further treatment on a clinical trial, she went into remission in October 2021, but relapsed for a third time just two months later.
In February 2022, she had a stem cell transplant and has been in remission since then.
“Making positive videos is just part of how I reframe my life and chose to look at things,” she said.
“If you trick your brain into thinking things aren’t that bad then things really won’t seem so bad. You have to fake laugh until you start really laughing.
For Shell, Teenage Cancer Trust is close to her heart.
“My support co-ordinator, Marlies, and Tom at University College London Hospital were massive supports for me on my journey,” she said.
She added: “I genuinely could not have gone through the treatment without her.
“There have been times when I’ve been alone in hospital and people don’t understand the difference that organisations like Teenage Cancer Trust make.
“This campaign is my way of giving back to them.”
For Shell’s TikTok, visit www.tiktok.com/@shellrowe
And to donate to Teenage Cancer Trust, visit www.teenagecancertrust.org/shell