Published at 16:20, Wednesday, 23 January 2013

A BRAVE cancer battler has thanked his sister for taking on her fear of the electric razor in aid of a charity close to his heart.

GOING, GOING, GONE From left, Barbara with her brother Alan Griffiths and Alan’s daughter and full-time carer Kelsey Griffiths pictured before she faced the clippers REF: 50043530B000

Alan Griffiths has twice been diagnosed with cancer and a also a rare heart condition in the last three years.

After being diagnosed with the second cancer his sister, Barbara Wadeson, decided to raise money for the heart and cancer charities that have supported her brother – by chopping off her long locks on Mr Griffiths’ 60th birthday on Saturday.

Mr Griffiths, of Anson Street, Barrow, was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2010. It was after this that doctors diagnosed him with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a disease that damages the valves in the heart.

In June last year, Mr Griffiths started feeling unwell again and was further diagnosed with liver cancer.

But because of his heart condition he couldn’t have standard chemotherapy treatment and instead had to travel to London for specialist care.

He had an operation in November, from which Mr Griffiths admitted he thought he “wouldn’t come back”.

He said the last few years had taken a real toll on him, and said: “Sometimes I feel like I don’t want to go on and some days I feel fine.”

Mrs Wadeson, who has so far raised £500, said: “Everybody says I am brave for having my hair cut off.

“But it’s my brother who is the brave one, not me.”

Mrs Wadeson, of Brighton Street, Barrow, said the thought of the head shave didn’t scare her, but added: “I am a little bit iffy about electric things. I am worried about the electric shaver.”

She joked with her sister, Linda Sharratt,that ordinarily she doesn’t even like electric curlers being close to her head when she is having her hair done.

The 57-year-old added: “I always said one day I would shave my head for something special – and my brother is special.”

Mrs Wadeson will be raising money for the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Association and Cancer Research.

Mrs Wadeson admitted she loves her long hair and rarely goes to the hairdressers for a cut. She describes her most daring hair cut was when she was a teenager and had it trimmed to shoulder length.

“When Barbara said she was going to do it I didn’t believe it. I never thought she would do something like this,” added Mr Griffiths.

He continued: “We take the mickey out of her something chronic, but she makes me proud.”

The head shave will take place on Saturday in Klipso hairdressers, Napier Street.

Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk