Barber Shaves His Head in Solidarity With Mother Fighting Cancer

On the left, a barber shaves his mothers head; on the right, he begins shaving his head in solidarity

Photo: Screenshots from Instagram

On any given day, there are millions of people across the world who are battling cancer. According to the World Cancer Research Fund International, there were 18.1 million cancer cases recorded in 2020. Though it is a battle faced by many, it is nonetheless a scary, painful, and tiring experience for patients and their families. Going through rounds of chemo, is yet another struggle in the quest for health. It is physically and mentally draining. One common side effect of this treatment that can take a toll on one's self-esteem is hair loss. This can be particularly hard for women, as many consider their hair not only part of their image, but a key part of their femininity as well. That's why any show of support can mean the world for someone in this situation. In Brazil, a woman named Claudia had to say goodbye to her hair, so she paid a visit to her son's barber shop to get her head buzzed by experienced and loving hands. As she faced that challenging moment, she came across an unlikely and heartwarming display of solidarity.

Claudia had been diagnosed with laryngeal cancer a few years ago, and she recently had to resume treatment. When she decided to have her head buzzed, she knew it was best to have it done by her son, Guilherme Magalhães. As a barber at the Barbearia Entre Amigos shop in the Brazilian municipality of Presidente Epitácio, Magalhães has been giving buzzcuts to countless people for five years. This time, he had his own mother in his barber’s chair and it was unlike any other haircut he’d given.

In a video that captured the moment, Magalhães is seen shaving his mother’s locks. Claudia observes with sadness in her eyes, but displays composure. She even tries to put on a coy smile for her son while he continues with the ordeal. Noticing his mother's dismay, Magalhães then takes the razor to his own head and begins to shave his own hair.

Claudia is visibly surprised and looks on at her son with the expression of a concerned mother. While the original video posted by Magalhães doesn't feature audio of their conversation, it's easy to see the woman is touched by the gesture. The young man doesn't seem to mind losing his hair, as he smiles and laughs while he buzzes away.

Already trying to fight the tears, Claudia finally breaks when Magalhães' friends and coworkers, Fernando Brito and Deeh Winchester, approach Claudia's chair and get their heads shaved by their friend as well. Both do it so with a supporting smile on their face, and Brito even gives the woman a pat on the back as she wipes away a tear.

Magalhães shared a video of the moment with the caption, “You are light Ms. Claudia, I love you.” The loving son and also thanks his friends for their selfless gesture: “[There are] no words to describe you brothers.” Afterwards, Brito shared a picture of the group sporting their freshly shaved heads with the message, “No obstacle will be big if your will to win is bigger.”

Talking about his act of solidarity, Magalhães reveals that it all happened in the heat of the moment. “My own friends didn't know, it was something very spontaneous and it reverberated in a good way. At the time she was very surprised and then it became something exciting for her,” he told Brazilian outlet BHAZ. “She didn't expect me to shave my head either. Now she receives my support and the whole of Brazil. All this repercussion ended up increasing my mother's self-esteem. Like it or not, hair is something very important for women and essential in self-esteem. But I know it will be a passing thing.”