Kya Buller
Warning: This article contains discussion of cancer which some readers may find distressing.
It's the one thing nobody ever wants to hear - that a loved one is battling cancer.
The sad truth is that people are diagnosed with the brutal illness every day and gruelling chemotherapy often leads to people opting to shave their head, ahead of losing their hair more gradually.
The internet was collectively awe-inspired and heartbroken by the actions of Sophie Mulcahy, from Australia, after they were posted on Instagram on March 15.
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Sophie visited Bambi Blonde salon in Bunbury, Western Australia, along with her mother, Tracy, who is battling stage four ovarian cancer.
Sophie is filmed as her emotional mum sits in the salon chair. She is told by a hairdresser how to shave her mum's head.
Then, Sophie takes the razor to her own head, and her mum shows visibly shocked before they both break down in tears and hold each other.
The salon shared the emotionally devastating footage on their Instagram page, with the caption including: "Tracy and Sophie have been long time clients of ours for the whole seven years I have had the salon.
"Tracy & Sophie aren’t just clients, we have created such a bond that these beautiful girls feel like family.
"Receiving the call from Tracy that she has been diagnosed with stage 4 high grade ovarian cancer was absolutely gut wrenching, how? How can this be true?
"How can someone so beautiful, so loving and so bloody wonderful be diagnosed with something so so so s**t!?"
They continued: "Fast forward to today, if you were in the salon you would have felt the emotion in this moment, the whole salon was in tears.
"Beautiful Soph decided to surprise Tracy (her Mum) with this moment."
The salon then encouraged people to get checked 'again and again until you have the answers.'
The incredibly moving and heart-wrenching video has gone viral on the social media platform, attracting the attention of hundreds of thousands of people.
One person wrote: "I felt every VIBRATION. Every syllable. Everything. Every word. I understand."
Another said: "Sobbing. The sweet, knowing look you give her when she looks up at you. Hugs. Wishing you both all the best."
A third said: "I'm crying like a baby. Sending love and strength to you two amazing women."
There is a fundraiser for Tracy's treatment, which also explains the situation in more detail.
The GoFundMe page says: "Tracy had been telling doctors of a heavy sensation in her stomach for a long time, constantly being brushed off and it put down to Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).
"About 18 months ago, Tracy started having severe night sweats, again seeking medical advice. Doctors telling her she was in Perimenopause and it was all due to hormonal changes."
It heartbreakingly concludes with: "She then went and had a PET scan and they took biopsies of her uterus and ovaries. This is when they discovered she had Stage 4 - High Grade Ovarian Cancer. It has also metastasised to her lungs. It is treatable but not curable.
"Tracy is determined to prove them wrong.
"Heartbreaking that things had to get to this point before finally being heard."
You can donate to the GoFundMe here.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact Macmillan’s Cancer Support Line on 0808 808 00 00, 8am–8pm seven days a week.