DHQ Carlene goes bald to support sister’s cancer fight

Many people were shocked to see a bald Carlene Smith at her Dancehall Tuesdays event at The MECA in Kingston this week, some opining that she had such beautiful hair.

But for the original dancehall queen, there's nothing more beautiful than the love shared between her and her sister, which inspired the new look.

Carlene decided to shave her head to stand in solidarity with one of her sisters who is undergoing chemotherapy. She wished to protect her sister's identity.

"She has lost her hair and wasn't comfortable when she heard she had to lose her hair," Carlene told THE STAR. "You know you're accustomed to your hair, even if it's low. Being bald is a whole different thing and I'm just realising that. This is the least I could do in support of not just my sister, but anybody else who is going through this horrible disease. It's a scary word to hear; it's frightening and stressful 'cause don't care what you do, you have no control over it. I love my sister and she knows it. But it's never too much to make people understand the length and how far you'd go to let them know you're there with them, for them, and the love you have."

She added that she has often heard experiences of cancer patients being discriminated against because of the disease's effects on their appearance, and wants to remind people that it's the interior that counts.

"You already have so much pressure from your illness, you don't want to be worrying about your hair and who looks like what, which I totally understand. I do have my name and I am a public figure in my country and some parts of the world, so though I don't have cancer, my sister does and I didn't know how else best to let her know and feel that it doesn't matter what you look like. This is the message for the other patients or people who have had cancer and have got over it or are going through it. The outer appearance really doesn't matter when you're hurting inside. I wanted to give cancer patients my support," she said.

While Carlene said she wishes she could do more, like take the chemotherapy for her sister, her efforts have attracted testimonies from cancer patients and survivors. She has also received well wishes and commendation.

"I want to thank people for the prayers for her and me because this does put a burden on the family. When I tell you my sister takes nothing serious, and for that spirit, I know she's going to be fine. She's strong, happy, loving, caring and still worrying about everybody else while she's going through this."