A young man has bravely explained how his father gifted him a hair transplant from beyond the grave.

Blake Cornish, 26, a Canterbury estate agent who is a father of two, suffered a devastating blow in September 2010.

Within weeks of each other, both his parents Kim and Brian were diagnosed with cancer - Kim with breast cancer and Brian with oesophageal cancer.

While Kim eventually made a full recovery, Brian’s battle was tragically short-lived. He passed away in March 2012, just three days after Blake’s 14th birthday.

By this time, Blake’s siblings Leighton and Hayley had already left home and were building lives of their own, leaving Kim and Blake alone in the family home to grapple with their loss.

“When I found out dad was dying, it was devastating, and I tried to stay strong for my friends and family,” Blake remembers.

“After he passed, just days after my 14th birthday I felt like the ground had been ripped out from under me. But rather than let the grief consume me, I knew I had to step up - not just for myself, but for my mum.

"We had very little money and I had to take part-time jobs as a teenager while trying to keep up with school. Doing this was hard enough, but doing it after losing my dad - it was like trying to run a marathon with a boulder strapped to my back.

“I struggled to keep up at school but I couldn't give up. I had to prove to myself, and to my dad’s memory, that I could keep going. Life went on, as sad as that is to say. But I think of him every day and miss him terribly.”

With no significant life insurance payout to cushion the blow, Kim found herself struggling not only with her recovery but also with the challenges of raising a teenage son on her own.

Despite the profound grief, Blake refused to let the loss of his father derail his life.

He took on several part-time jobs to help with household expenses and ensure he could cover his own needs.

Blake eventually left school with few qualifications. He secured a job at estate agency Miles & Barr in Canterbury and began to thrive - except for one persistent issue.

His hairline was receding, and Blake despised it. In a futile attempt to conceal it, he adopted a comb-over that, ironically, only drew more attention to his thinning hair.

Though Kim, Leighton, and his girlfriend Penny tried to broach the subject, Blake’s sensitivity led to heated arguments.

In October 2022, Blake and Penny welcomed their son, Parker, into the world. It was a joyous occasion but also a turning point. Seeing photos of himself holding Parker, Blake was mortified by the image of his receding hairline.

The anxiety that had been simmering beneath the surface now became impossible to ignore.

“I've been conscious about my hair since I was 21,” Blake, who lives in the Canterbury area, explains.

“I started wearing lots of hats when going out and grew my hair out with a comb-over to hide the thinning at the corners.

“When I saw those photos of me holding my son Parker, I realised that the image in the mirror was more than just my appearance—it was a reflection of everything I’d been through.

“And I couldn’t let that be the story I told my son."

Kim could see how deeply this issue was affecting Blake, and she knew she had to do something. When Brian passed away, he had left Kim with a small amount of money to only use if absolutely necessary.

For 12 years, Kim had honoured that promise. But now, seeing Blake’s distress over something that seemed trivial to her but was clearly tormenting him, she decided that Brian wouldn’t want to see his son suffer like this.

After reading an article in a local newspaper about a resident who had undergone a successful hair transplant in London, Kim began researching options.

When she finally brought up the subject with Blake again, he was more receptive than ever before. Together, they visited The Wimpole Clinic in London for a consultation.

“I felt very grateful when my mum told me about the gift from my dad,” Blake says.

“It wasn’t something he would have known I was self-conscious about when he passed, but I feel he would have hated to see me hiding who I am.”

Blake’s journey was not just about restoring his hairline - it was about reclaiming his confidence.

"I wanted to get the procedure done so I wouldn’t have to worry anymore and could feel like myself again,” Blake adds.

“Now, I feel extremely confident and back to normal. My hair is still in the shedding stage, and I’m excited to see the final results, but I haven’t worn a hat since the procedure, and I’ve been going out regularly so life has really taken a turn for the better.

"I wish more people knew how easy the process is and that it’s not scary at all once you're there or after the transplant. The transplant wasn’t about vanity. It was about taking back a piece of myself that I felt was slipping away.

“After everything life has thrown at me, it was about standing tall again, not just for me, but for my family.”

Dr Peter Barron, hair transplant surgeon at the Wimpole Clinic, says hair loss can seriously affect a person’s mental health.

"At Wimpole Clinic, we see firsthand how hair loss can take a profound emotional toll on individuals,” he explains.

“For many men, hair loss is far more than just a cosmetic issue. The gradual thinning and receding of hair can trigger personal, psychological, and social challenges.

“It's not just about losing hair; it’s about losing a part of one's identity, which can be particularly distressing.”

Dr Barron says in treating Blake they used follicular unit extraction, “the most advanced hair transplant surgery available”.

“The entire procedure is completed in under a day, allowing them to return to their normal lives quickly, with the added confidence of knowing their results will be indistinguishable from their natural hair,” he added.