March 24, 2024, was not a typical day for Shashicka Tyre-Riley. On this day, she was filled with faith, hope, and love. She thought of the moments that pained her during her 2012 bout with Breast Cancer; the hair loss, low self-esteem, and letting the Big “C” have a stronghold over her life. Her mission for this day was to encourage other men, women, and children to never give up. She chose to make a heartfelt post on her Facebook business page of one of her most vulnerable moments; a picture when she was totally bald due to her treatments. Never in a million years did she think that a group of people from her own hometown; Glynn County and surrounding areas of Georgia would launch a vicious cyberbullying attack that would prove to go wrong.
As Shashicka’s post touched the hearts of many, there was a group of individuals that set out to destroy her and her businesses. Monday, March 25th would make history for Shashicka as these tyrants tried to bring on a brutal cyberbullying attack by reposting her story laughing, bantering, and creating memes. For one entire day, they set a narrative that would backfire in their faces. Turning a negative into a positive, Shashicka immediately took to her Facebook page to do a live broadcast offering encouraging words to those who may be offended by these attacks. There was beauty inside this heartbreaking incident, one that only Shashicka could see. She vowed that no one would make a mockery of Cancer because she knew firsthand what that journey looked and felt like. So, she set out to turn things around for the entire community of Cancer patients, survivors, and caregivers.
Through all the mishaps that took place on that Monday, Shashicka gained a whooping 98% increase in sales totaling over $500,000 due to the viral commotion and she still was not done. On Tuesday, March 26th, she hit another groundbreaking benchmark when she introduced to the world her ball caps with the slogans, “I’m Bald Headed” and “I Wear Hats Cause I Was Bald Headed” that reached sales of over $100,000 during a soft launch release. “My journey with Cancer devastated me. After my biopsy, I became depressed. I didn’t know what life would be like anymore. My family needed me. I did treatments and my hair continuously started coming out. I chose to wear hair weave and wigs until my hair began to grow back. That’s why I was shocked to learn that people in my own community would take such a serious matter and turn it into something to gain some likes and followers, but the joke was on them,” said Tyre-Riley.
All of this started as a kind gesture to provide hope for the hopeless and encourage others with a story from a survivor. But as the world would have it, people are not filled with empathy anymore. Your struggles will meet a cyberbully who enjoys opening wombs and tearing you down. As it may be, not everyone can turn a tragedy into a triumph, but Shashicka Tyre-Riley took her negative and made it into a positive with the help of her bullies.
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