A WOMAN has raised more than £12,000 for her best friend’s cancer treatment by having her head shaved.

Jodie Ancell, 26, decided to have her locks shaved off to raise money and help her friend Chloe Farmer, also 26, who is undergoing clinical trials to treat a brain tumour.

Jodie, a healthcare assistant who lives in Goring, said: “I had thought about shaving my head before, because when Chloe started chemo she was really upset about losing her hair.

“I thought, it’s the perfect time for me to shave mine and show her its no big deal – it’s only hair.

“Then when she told me how much her treatments were costing her and her family because they are not available on the NHS, I thought this is my opportunity to help raise some money and shave my head.”

Chloe, who lives in Patcham in Brighton, was diagnosed with a glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) brain tumour earlier this year after experiencing headaches and losing her sight in one eye.

She underwent chemotherapy and radiotherapy but unfortunately her body did not respond well, and these therapies are no longer an option for her.

Now Chloe has the opportunity to have private treatment with clinical trials in America, but she has to fund the treatment herself, and it is likely to cost around £100,000.

Jodie said when she first suggested shaving her head to raise money for the treatment, Chloe could not believe it.

She said: “Chloe got a bit teary and said she felt bad, as she didn’t want me to look silly.

“But I said it’s OK, I’ve offered to.”

Jodie, who has known Chloe since they were both at Patcham Infant School and described her friend as “hilarious, kind and a little ditzy”, set up a Facebook fundraising page in September.

Within a few days Jodie had already raised more than £5,000 by committing to have her head shaved, and the total has now exceeded £12,000.

She said: “I know how popular Chloe is, and because we’ve been friends for so long I thought we would raise a lot, but I never thought it would be this much.

“People we haven’t seen for ten years were donating.”

Chloe accompanied Jodie to the Terrace Barbers in Brighton to have her hair cut off, and said she was overwhelmed by the amount of support and love people have shown.

She said: “I’m extremely grateful to have Jodie in my life – she is absolutely amazing.”

Apart from feeling the cold more, Jodie said she is enjoying her new look.

She said: “My hair was really long before, but I felt more excited than nervous to do it.

“Showers take me half the time now and I don’t have to take forever dying that long hair anymore – it’s great.

“I’m also looking forward to trying out new styles as it grows back.”

Glioblastomas are the most common cancerous primary brain tumour in adults, which grow from glial cells in the brain and can spread quickly.

As with most brain tumours, why glioblastomas begin to grow is currently unknown, and research is ongoing.

Donations can be made for Chloe’s treatment at www.gofundme.com/f/chloe-farmer-treatment-fund.