Tackling Illness with Style, Spirit

Former Pats Cheerleader has cutting-edge plan in breast-cancer battle

By Nick Mallard
Lowell Sun

Mike Napier has shaved numerous designs into many a head in his time at Thumbs Up Barber Shop.

Team logos, names, numbers, even celebrity faces — he’s done just about everything.

But a recent visit quickly became one that will be etched in his mind forever.

When Paula McDonald called to schedule an appointment, he thought nothing of it. But when she arrived Jan. 8 with a friend, her story was one unlike any Napier had heard from a customer before.

McDonald — a 40-year-old Lunenburg resident and mother of two — had been diagnosed with stage-3 breast cancer and wanted to do something unique before starting chemotherapy.

“She told me she wanted to do something different with her hair before the chemotherapy made it fall out anyway,” Napier said. “She had mentioned she was a cheerleader and wanted the Patriots logo shaved in.”

What McDonald didn’t mention at first was that the Patriots were her former employers, as she had served as an NFL cheerleader with the Patriots during the 1999 and 2000 seasons.

“We ended up seeing that she was a Patriots cheerleader at one point,” Thumbs Up owner Juan Rivera said. “She was just so spontaneous and bubbly when she was in here.”

McDonald already had undergone a double mastectomy and was looking for a way to lift her own spirits heading into more treatment.

“Knowing that my hair was going to fall out in the next few weeks, I wanted to do something completely out of character, something I never would have done and never will do again,” she said. “With the Patriots being in the playoffs, and being a former cheerleader, I decided shaving the Pats logo into the side of my head was exactly the type of thing that would make the transition to complete hair loss a bit more fun.”

She said several of her son’s friends had been customers at Thumbs Up, inspiring her to choose their services. McDonald said Napier “was great” and she’s thrilled with how the Patriots logo turned out. On the other side of her head, Napier shaved in the breast-cancer awareness symbol.

Rivera said it’s not uncommon for people to come in before big games to get logos and symbols done in their hair. His shop is well known for the quality of its work, but this job will be one everyone there remembers.

“We hope she’s doing well and we think she’s the Patriots’ lucky charm,” Rivera said.