A YOUNG mother from Lisnaskea who is receiving treatment for cancer is featuring in a BBC TV documentary to be broadcast early next week.

Orla Brogan's story is one of several to be told in 'True North: My Wig and Me', which goes out on BBC One NI on Monday, October 10 at 10.45pm.

'My Wig and Me' is an emotional portrayal of the trauma endured by two women and a young girl suffering hair loss and the former hairdresser whose wigs are helping to ease the pain and stigma.

For women especially, hair-loss can be a taboo subject and extremely upsetting – especially if you’re young, or at a vulnerable time in your life.

A woman’s hair can be a major expression of her personality and for many is the part of their appearance that they cherish the most.

Losing some, or all, of your ‘crowning glory’ can have a devastating impact on self-confidence and emotional wellbeing.

Young mum Orla makes the brave decision to shave her head and donate her hair before it falls out completely, but worries her baby girl won’t recognise her.

Model and mum-to-be Frankie is forging a career in the beauty industry despite suffering from alopecia since she was in her teens.

She speaks of the devastating impact alopecia had on her younger self.

And 11-year-old Emily, who is receiving treatment for leukaemia, is searching for the perfect wig in the run-up to her confirmation.

All three have formed a close bond with Theresa, who wears a hairpiece herself and whose wig creations help restore their self-esteem and allow them to feel normal again.

Susan Lovell, Head of Television Commissioning at BBC Northern Ireland, said: “True North – now in its seventh series – has become a very popular and recognisable strand that illuminates the hidden corners and characters of contemporary Northern Ireland.

“In this latest series we grapple with some of the biggest questions of all.

“The films in this run are, broadly, about some of the great challenges facing us in life.

“But they are about so much more; they are about the indomitable spirit, attitude, humour and humanity that runs through so many people's lives in this part of the world.

“In True North, we get the chance to explore and celebrate those lives through the eyes of our most talented film-makers.”