May is brain tumor awareness month, and the catchphrase is, “Go Gray in May” or “Gray May.” The symbol for brain tumor awareness is frequently a gray ribbon. I have long found this phrasing humorous, as I literally did go gray in May- to an extent.

I often share information I have collected from talking to many people with acoustic neuromas or through research, so I feel I have a good handle on whether the topic is a common acoustic neuroma experience. This particular post is truly about my particular experience, and I haven’t asked others if they share it. Also, I want to mention that I have another health issue that often comes with early graying, and in fact I found my first gray hair at fourteen years old. Lastly, early graying does run in my gene pool.

Going into brain surgery, I expected my hair to get shaved. I kept my hair as long as I could beforehand, thinking that would help cover it and I could get it cut to a style that worked after. In fact, they shaved very little and my hairstyle ended up not being impacted at all.

However, after my brain surgery in May at just 27 years old, I experienced a significant uptick in graying hair. It wasn’t immediate, as it takes time for hair to get replaced. But within a year I was noticing more gray.

I did some research, and learned that stress on your body can lead to graying hair. That fact feels very logical to me. When your body is going through a lot, it impacts the whole system and not just one part. I can see how something as large as brain tumor surgery can have far reaching outcomes like an increase in gray hairs.

Now, almost eleven years later, I have a decent amount of gray highlights. If I had closed cropped hair I would probably have silver wings on my temples. I have also gone through six more surgeries since my brain surgery and another autoimmune disease diagnosis, so my body has been through some things in recent years.

You often hear those old adages, about gray hairs being earned or being signs of wisdom. I have honestly rather embraced my gray hair. I try to honor all that my body has gone through. I respect the fight and the effort. I also feel like I can’t be upset that it let go of some pigment in my hair but fought other much more important  battles.

As a child, I loved all the fantasy stories with white haired ladies (think- The Last Unicorn). I enjoyed playing pretend by wrapping a white shawl around my head like I had white hair. Guess I am just fulfilling that childhood dream sooner rather than later.

Maybe at some point I’ll choose to dye my hair, because that could be really fun. Most days, it seems like too much of an investment of my time and money. For now, my gray hair will make me smile and remember the wins. I’ll keep choosing to enjoy my sparkly, light colored highlights.