A news anchor has proudly ditched her wig and false eyelashes while on-air to celebrate finally finishing her cancer treatment.
Pam Huff - a journalist working with WBMA-LD's ABC 33/40 in Alabama - had been diagnosed with breast cancer last year, before starting intense rounds of chemotherapy and radiotherapy in addition to a lumpectomy in August.
It was during this time that 69-year-old Huff - who just happened to be the first female nightly news anchor in the state of Alabama - wore a wig as well as false lashes to retain a sense of normalcy amid her health battles, which saw her lose all of her hair.
Huff chose to keep working for ABC 33/40 since starting treatment for breast cancer, remaining dedicated to the career that she both loves and had worked tirelessly to achieve. This week, however, she stripped bare.
Earlier this week, Huff decided to celebrate being cancer free by going live without the wig and false lashes which was actually the first time that many of her viewers had seen her real locks since beginning chemotherapy.
"I called the wig my hat," she revealed to Yahoo Life. "Every evening when I walked in the house, the first thing I took off was my hat. So, my family was very accustomed to seeing me this way, and my close friends and neighbors. It was very freeing to me to be able to lift that off [on air] and go, 'OK, this is it. I have nothing else. You've seen it all!'"
She also revealed that she had been a little apprehensive about the public response to her decision to remove her wig, stating: "I was scared.
"I really didn't know how people would take to it. Although people have seen some pictures online, obviously it's different to go on the air and do a full newscast with this little tiny bit of hair that I have. I didn't know if it would be received well - but it was."
Though, viewers took to social media and email inboxes to express their praise for Huff, who revealed: "People were saying, 'Go for it,' 'It's wonderful,' and 'You go girl!' So, the hair is now here. We'll see what happens from this point forward. I don't know what we'll end up doing with it."
Taking to Facebook later, Huff uploaded a photo of herself wigless, with the caption: "Today is the day I'm back to just me! No wig- no false eyelashes - just me! I'm embracing what I have after eight months battling breast cancer.
"I'm alive - healthy - and happy. I trust my viewers will be happy for me too and we'll see how fast this pixie grows!"
With Huff turning 70 next week, it's no wonder that she's so excited to celebrate. What a woman and we wish her the very best!
