D'Andray and Brielle Thomas
A Chattanooga, Tenn., father, D’Andray Thomas, cut his long locs for a shaved bald head to match his daughter, Brielle, who is being treated for stage 4 cancer.
The loving father, who grew his dreadlocks for nine years, spared no hair on his head to make his daughter feel confident about her treatment, USA Today reported.
On June 3, ABC New York shows video of D’Andray pulling up to his daughter outside the family’s home, who was unaware of her father’s new hairstyle. When the father greets his bald daughter, D’Andray, who was wearing a hat, appears to be wearing his dreadlocks. He removes the cap to reveal that he is also bald, and D’Andray and Brielle share a compassionate father-daughter embrace.
The father, the owner of a speciality salad eatery called Nut’n But Guac, is raising awareness of his daughter’s condition with the BriBri Strong campaign, selling T-shirts and bracelets with the proceeds going to her cause, according to NowThis.
Brielle was diagnosed with stage 4 nasopharyngeal carcinoma in February and has been undergoing chemotherapy and radiation since then.
The most advanced stage of nasopharyngeal carcinoma is stage 4. This means that the cancer has spread beyond the nasopharynx (the upper part of the throat behind the nose) to other areas of the body, including the lymph nodes, bones, or brain.
The following are common symptoms associated with stage 4 nasopharyngeal cancer: headache, neck pain, swollen lymph nodes, difficulty swallowing, nosebleeds, ear pain, vision problems, numbness or weakness in the face, jaw pain, cough, wheezing, and weight loss.
The 5-year survival rate for this stage of the disease is 49 percent. This means that 49 out of 100 people diagnosed with stage 4 nasopharyngeal cancer will live at least five years after diagnosis.