A mother who was left half bald following treatment for her brain tumour is now showcasing her luscious locks thanks to a 'revolutionary wig fitted with super-glue'.
Katie Smith, 33, from Stourbridge, West Midlands, was first diagnosed with a grade 2 brain tumour in 2015.
After undergoing surgery and thinking she had beaten the disease, she was devastated to discover the growth had returned last March.
Despite enduring a second surgery and radiotherapy, Mrs Smith then received the devastating news her cancer is incurable, with doctors only being able to control the 'ticking time bomb' via chemotherapy.
Along with her terminal prognosis, Mrs Smith also had to come to terms with her devastating hair loss, which left her bald at the front part of her head.
Convinced strangers were laughing at her, Mrs Smith even avoided her own reflection until hair-loss specialists covered up her bald patch with a semi-permanent wig for free.
Katie Smith (pictured left before the 'wig' was fitted) was left half bald following chemo for her incurable brain tumour. Convinced people were laughing at her, the mother-of-one (pictured right with her one-year-old son Eli) had special hair pieces fitted using a 'revolutionary glue'
After being diagnosed in 2015, Mrs Smith was relieved when her first surgery seemed to be a success, only for her cancer to return last March. Her scar is pictured after her second operation on June 11 2018. Doctors then said they could only control her symptoms via chemo
Speaking of having her 'wig' fitted, Mrs Smith said: 'I was halfway through my treatment and most of the hair on the front part of my scalp had fallen out.
'I looked sort of like Gregory David Roberts and I was nervous about showing my head to people who didn't know me or had no idea about who I was before my hair fell out.
'I'd lost a lot of confidence by this point and I thought people were just going to laugh at me or worse still, give me the pity stare. It massively affected my quality of life as I was reminded of my cancer every time I looked at my reflection.'
Mrs Smith was then 'over the moon' when she discovered treatment was available for her hair loss, which would help her feel like herself again.
'I was measured up for the hair piece and a sample was made,' she said. 'It's amazing as it doesn't prevent hair growth if it was to start growing underneath in the future.
'The hair systems they provide are made from real hair that is woven into a membrane, coloured to your preference, and is stuck down to your head.
'The rest of your real hair, if you have any left, is then cut, styled and blended in with the pretend hair.
'This means not only are these hair systems very realistic, but they are also semi-permanent so a person wearing one can swim, shower, go to the gym and basically do anything they like without the fear of a wig falling off.'
Optima, the company behind the 'wig', even carried out the procedure free-of-charge after hearing about Mrs Smith's ordeal.
As well as coming to terms with her terminal prognosis, her hair loss (seen left) was another blow. She is pictured having hair pieces fitted to the front of her head using specialist glue. Pictured right afterwards, Mrs Smith says she is no longer 'constantly reminded' of her disease
Mrs Smith (pictured with her son Eli and her husband Luke on January 3) tries hard to stay
