A ROSYTH cancer patient facing losing her hair when her chemo starts today (Friday) has lopped off her locks to donate to the Little Princess Trust.

Brave Jillian McElhinney, 47, of Backmarch Crescent, has already been through weeks of hell after a major operation to remove her womb, ovaries, cervix and fallopian tubes.

Now, barely six weeks after the gruelling experience, she’s about to start chemotherapy and decided to go for the chop to take some control back over her body.

“It’s inevitable I’m going to lose my hair, eyebrows and eyelashes,” said Jillian. “I’m a beautician by trade and appearance has always been important to me, I’ve always taken pride in it. I was always getting my hair done and going to beauty salons, that’s who I was.

“This will help me come to terms with my hair loss. I don’t want to wake up with hair all over my pillow and having to bin it, so I thought why not do something beneficial for a child that’s going through the same thing?

“I came across the Little Princess Trust and told them my story. The woman on the phone said she’d never had someone do it just before their treatment and said I was remarkable and brave.

"But I don’t see myself as that. I am terrified of chemo. It’s the fear of the unknown. I’m more afraid of that than the major operation. I don’t have any control and this is a slight way of taking it back.”

Being diagnosed with ovarian cancer came as a shock to Jillian and husband Shaun, who were rocked by how quickly everything happened.

“Not long after Christmas, I felt I had a bloated stomach and my jeans didn’t fit,” said Jillian. “I thought I’d just put on weight after Christmas, but I was in a bit of discomfort so I went to the hospital.

"They took a CT scan and sent me home, but I got a call the next day saying I had to come back immediately.

“It was devastating, everything was going through my head. They told me I had ovarian cancer, that it was very extensive and that I’d need an operation.

"It hit me like a ton of bricks, but I’ve never once said: ‘Why me?’ I’ve always said: ‘Try me.’ You have to keep the positivity ball rolling.”

Last month, Jillian spent 12 hours in surgery as doctors worked to save her by removing her womb, ovaries, cervix, lymph nodes, appendix and fallopian tubes. But the cancer had spread to the apron of her stomach and she was told she needed six sessions of chemo.

For Jillian, who is used to being outgoing and getting out and about, spending so much time in the high dependency unit was difficult and she relied on husband Shaun to help get her through.

“Without my husband and my family I don’t think I’d have got this far,” she said. “It was a massive shock which rippled through my immediate family. Everyone suffers when someone is diagnosed, it’s not just the patient.

“Shaun has been there 24/7. We were married in March last year. We had huge plans for our anniversary, but then I got the call to say I was seriously ill. It put everything on hold.

“It’s taken away so many parts of my life, including our first wedding anniversary, which is heartbreaking."

Shaun added: “The hardest part was leaving her in the high dependency unit and having to go home alone. I felt helpless. I’m very proud of her, what she’s doing is remarkable.”