Fans rally behind Hallmark star as she shares emotional step in cancer fight

Hallmark actress and director Yan-Kay Crystal Lowe shared a brave update on her cancer journey with her social media supporters on Monday night, prompting an outpouring of love from her fans. The 44-year-old, who was recently diagnosed with stage three breast cancer, took to Instagram to document the moment that she shaved her hair off, after it had started to fall out in clumps as a side effect of chemotherapy. In the clip, Crystal sat in a chair with a mesh cap on, before taking it off to showcase the extensive hair loss she had been facing.

“Well, ladies and gentlemen…I did a thing,” she wrote in the caption. “Waking up to clumps of hair falling out was traumatic. Hiding it was the worst! But doing this…this made me feel like I was in the [driver’s seat]. Sharing my head with you all…scary, but I really want anyone who’s going through this to see that I’m okay. And you will be too.”

She continued: “Also, I still cried a lot. But after it all…felt so strong. Side note – surround yourself with people that tell you how beautiful you are bald. That is the assignment. And if you don’t have anyone, I will tell you!! #cancer #bald #chemo #shavedhead.” The mom of two then explained the catalyst for this moment in the video.

“Here we go,” she began as she sat in the chair. “You can see that it’s already come off a lot. And now it’s in chunks. If you pull it, it just comes out. So I’m not going to wait anymore, I’m just going to take it off.” The clip cut to Crystal’s friend shaving off her hair with an electric razor, with the actress appearing visibly emotional during the pivotal moment.

She ended the video smiling and laughing with her friend, and inspected her new haircut. Crystal’s fans rushed to the comment section to show their support, with one writing, “You are so brave! And you are beautiful! You are helping so many people by sharing your story. Sending you so much love and encouragement!” while another added, “You’re so strong! You got this babe! Praying for you.”

A third fan chimed in, “The hard part is over! Now have fun rocking those wigs! It’s ok to cry because it sucks!” while another said, “This took so much guts. You are brave and you are beautiful.” Crystal is a veteran Hallmark actress and director, and starred in the company’s Signed, Sealed, Delivered film series.

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She got candid about her diagnosis in an essay for People, and revealed why it was so important to share her journey publicly. “Essentially, I’m looking at the whole deal: chemo, double mastectomy, radiation and, eventually, implants…As someone who’s never had any major illness, it was a lot to digest,” she wrote.

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“I went on social media, desperate to find other women like me – which is a big reason [why] I’m sharing this story…Hearing other people’s stories and absorbing their amazing tips, like asking for ice chips or a bag of saline when you go in for chemo, has helped more than I can say.”

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She added: “If you’re walking a hard road too, just know, you’re not alone. We may not get to choose what happens to us, but we do get to choose how we meet it. And I’m meeting it – with my sword raised, my heart open, and taking it one step at a time.”