BOISE, Idaho — A handful of Idaho lawmakers are now hairless after shaving their heads in solidarity with Representative Brooke Green, who is battling breast cancer.
A group of republican representatives took a little off the top in-between sessions at a local salon on Tuesday.
“I didn’t expect this, it was a bit of a surprise," says Rep. Brooke Green (D), who is battling breast cancer. "It is so heartfelt to see my colleagues, all my male colleagues stand with me in solidarity and shave their heads,"
“I was diagnosed [for] my first time in July with breast cancer and subsequently got a second diagnosis this past January, and it so happened to coincide with the start of the legislative session," says Green.
She has been gone for a portion of the legislative session this year and will be starting chemotherapy this week.
“Brooke was saying how she was gonna lose her hair, so I said 'well Brooke, how about if I clip my head bald?" recalled Rep. Mike Pohanka (R).
He asked many of his fellow lawmakers if they’d want to shave their heads too.
“We have about 12 legislators on the House side that said, 'yup I’ll step up to the plate,' get my head clipped bald to support our fellow representative, Brooke Green. There’s some others that support her as well, but didn’t want to lose their hair," says Pohanka.
“My wife is a breast cancer survivor. She’ll be five years clear this May, and just to be here for them to let them know they’re not fighting the fight by themselves [is everything]" commented Pohanka regarding the importance of solidarity when it comes to battling cancer.
The haircuts come just one day after Gov. Brad Little signed House Bill 134 into law, sponsored by Rep. Green, which expands coverage for supplemental breast cancer screenings.
“If you are a high-risk woman in Idaho for breast cancer, you are now eligible for one additional enhancement screening, which could be an MRI and ultrasound or contrast mammogram per year," says Green.
She hopes the new law will help save lives with early detection and is glad for the support of her colleagues.
“If I had to go through cancer somewhere, I’m glad to do it here with all of my friends behind me."
Representative Green will be shaving her head sometime next week and hopes to finish out the legislative session alongside her supportive colleagues.
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