Rhiannon Thomas lost her hair during chemotherapy just weeks after undergoing a mastectomy for breast cancer, a moment that left her confidence shattered. Yet being photographed for a campaign celebrating the resilience of women living with the disease helped her discover an inner strength she had not known existed. The 36-year-old mother of two is among 11 Welsh women who participated in The Pink Ribbon Foundation's BOLD campaign, a project that transforms the visible effects of cancer treatment into portraits of courage and beauty.
For the first time I feel I look pretty, I look confident and strong. It's surprising the strength you find when you go through such a hard time.
How did Rhiannon's cancer journey begin?
Rhiannon discovered a lump in the shower in November of the previous year, leading to her breast cancer diagnosis. The teaching assistant from Abertridwr near Caerphilly described the moment as devastating, particularly when facing the question of how to tell her two daughters, aged 14 and nine, about her condition. Since her diagnosis she has undergone a mastectomy, chemotherapy and is currently receiving radiotherapy treatment.
How did she approach hair loss with her children?
When her hair began falling out during chemotherapy, Rhiannon decided to shave her head but wanted to transform the experience into something positive for her family. She invited her youngest daughter to play at being a hairdresser, allowing her to cut whatever she wished before the electric shaver was used. Footage captured on her phone shows the family laughing together as her daughter gets creative with scissors, a moment Rhiannon engineered deliberately to shield her children from witnessing her distress.
In private moments, however, the radical change to her appearance proved difficult.
I remember looking in the mirror and like just crying because it's just you know we don't recognise yourself.Rhiannon was brought to tears recalling her parents' reaction when they first saw her after her head had been shaved, and she took to wearing a head wrap whenever she left the house.
Who else participated in the campaign?
Sam Gronow-Walters, a 44-year-old mental health nurse and mother of two, shares a similar journey with hair loss through breast cancer treatment. She was first diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer five years ago, which was successfully treated with intravenous chemotherapy, a lumpectomy and radiotherapy, followed by oral chemotherapy. Seven months later she found another lump; tests confirmed the cancer had returned, requiring a mastectomy. In 2024, she was told it had spread to her lung, and by July of that year, tests showed it had spread to her liver and lymph nodes.
You've got to keep going. You've just got to do whatever you can because I want to see my kids grow up.Like Rhiannon, when Sam felt she had no option other than to shave her head, her immediate concern was how to make the experience easier for her children, a daughter aged 20 and a son aged 13. Her son requested she have her head shaved with a bit left at the front in homage to Brazilian footballer Ronaldo's memorable hairdo at the 2002 World Cup, a request she honoured.
To me that that's quite a happy memory, so he'll see that even when I'm poorly I can still have fun, can still smile and I can still make my children happy and laugh.Sam was equally concerned about the impact her new appearance would have on her children.
I used to ask my son when I took him to school, 'do you mind if I don't wear a hat?' He was like, 'why would I care?'.
What is the BOLD campaign?
Rhiannon and Sam met after signing up to participate in The Pink Ribbon Foundation's BOLD Wales campaign, a project that celebrates the courage and confidence of women who have lost their hair through breast cancer treatment. Alongside nine other Welsh women, they spent a day in Cardiff being photographed by Dutch photographer Caroline Sikkenk. According to The Pink Ribbon Foundation, the Wales shoot took place on 31 May and 1 June 2026 at voco St David's Cardiff, with the foundation inviting participants to bring a support person who could also be photographed as part of the story.
The photographs will be displayed at London's Piccadilly Lights. The BOLD project had already been displayed in London, Glasgow and at the Scottish Parliament before the Wales expansion, representing a broader UK rollout of the initiative.
How did the women experience the photoshoot?
Both Rhiannon and Sam had been nervous about being photographed but described the experience as unexpectedly joyful.
It was like we'd all known each other before meeting that day, and we still keep in touch now.Rhiannon had never previously spoken to another woman who had lost her hair during cancer treatment.
I just felt really safe and not judged.
Seeing the photographs for the first time proved emotional for both women. Rhiannon expressed pride in the courage it had taken to be photographed at such a vulnerable moment.
I was like, 'oh wow'. I was like, 'wow, that's not me'. I was quite proud to show them to my family to say, 'oh, this is me'.
How did the BOLD campaign begin?
The BOLD project began in 2022 when Lisa Allen from The Pink Ribbon Foundation met photographer Caroline Sikkenk at a breast cancer conference. Caroline had spent years photographing women who had experienced hair loss through illness.
What struck us about her photographs was that these women weren't being shown as patients. They were strong, beautiful and completely themselves.The first BOLD shoot took place in 2023. The project was founded by photographer Caroline Sikkenk and frames baldness after treatment as a symbol of strength, resilience and beauty.
What we hadn't anticipated was that we would create a community.Lisa explained that the impact often began before a photograph was taken.
We set up a WhatsApp group beforehand, so by the time the women arrive they already feel they're going through it together. The friendships and support that grow around it last long after the photograph is taken.
What impact has the campaign had on participants?
Both women said taking part in the project had given them a newfound strength and sense of optimism.
I feel like my confidence and my positivity just got stronger from the photo shoot. I walked out of there just so confident and I felt so free and just like I don't have to hide.Gone are the head wraps, and proudly showing her shaved head has become what Rhiannon describes as the new normal.
For Sam, the photoshoot helped her find self-acceptance.
This is me now - I wouldn't have long hair again. Hair loss doesn't define who I am. It's just a symbol that I'm getting through this and I am strong.
What happens next for the campaign?
The Pink Ribbon Foundation, a UK grant-making trust that funds charities supporting people affected by breast cancer and work on early detection and treatment, continues to expand the BOLD initiative. The Wales campaign represents part of a broader UK rollout following successful installations in Scotland and London, with future photoshoots planned to continue celebrating the resilience of women affected by breast cancer-related hair loss.
Key Facts
- Rhiannon Thomas and Sam Gronow-Walters are among 11 Welsh women photographed for The Pink Ribbon Foundation's BOLD campaign celebrating courage and confidence after hair loss through breast cancer treatment
- The BOLD project began in 2022 following a meeting between Lisa Allen from The Pink Ribbon Foundation and Dutch photographer Caroline Sikkenk at a breast cancer conference
- Participants in the Wales shoot, held on 31 May and 1 June 2026, were invited to bring a support person who could also be photographed as part of the story
- The campaign has expanded to multiple UK locations including London, Glasgow, the Scottish Parliament and Wales, with photographs displayed at prominent public venues
- Both women credit the photoshoot experience with building a supportive community that continues beyond the initial photography session through ongoing friendships and mutual support
