FOUR MEDICAL STUDENTS SHAVE HEADS FOR CHILDHOOD CANCER

Makeup by Carol Hines carol-hines.squarespace.com Images by Jim Noetzel

Tiffany Dufrene. Courtney Morgan, Catherine Nix and Blair Stevens were about to lose all their hair.

These women, also medical students at LSU Health Shreveport, agreed to shave their heads to raise funds and awareness. Geaux Bald is a fundraiser through LSU Health benefitting St. Baldwick’s Foundation, which supports childhood cancer research.

One of the first to go bald was Catherine Nix, a first-year med student. When the razor came out as she sat on the stage in front of a crowd, Nix was smiling as the crowd cheered her on. As her hair fell into her lap, her smile got larger.

“Shaving my head made think about children [going through cancer]. Imagine waking up and there being hair on your pillow. That would probably be pretty devastating,” Nix said.

“Every cool adult started out as a cool kid. I kind of felt like if they don’t fund childhood cancer research then those cool kids aren’t going to be cool adults,” Nix said. “It seems a shame that children have the most potential and their illnesses are so underfunded. So it seemed like a really good thing to raise money for, and I don’t really care about my hair.”

Nix raised $1,000, a large portion of which came from her boyfriend’s employer, Kevin Bryan Architect.

During Nix’s shave, Morgan, a secondyear med student, was moving around the room rushing to raise $500 to get her best friend Stevens to shave, too. In about five minutes, Morgan handed Stevens, also a second-year med student, the $500, and the two sat side by side on stage to shave their heads.

“The most terrifying part was it happening in front of everyone, so I had no idea what I was going to look like before anyone else. I was using the crowd’s reaction to know what I might be dealing with. But everyone smiled and gave me nods the whole time, and that’s when I knew it was going to be okay,” Stevens said.

Once her ponytail was chopped off, there was no turning back, she said.

“There was never a second when I wished I hadn’t done it, especially for the reason we all shaved our heads that day,” Stevens said. “Cancer patients don’t have the choice of going bald, but it’s something that is just thrown at them. So we shaved to show that they shouldn’t be ashamed of what they look like because of what they are going through. They should wear it proudly because hair is just an accessory. We are all beautiful with and without it.” The Cause Between these women nearly $8,000 will go to the St. Baldrick’s Foundation to fund research for childhood cancer. But as a whole, nearly 55 participated, and around $63,000 was raised for Geaux Bald in March.

“Cancer patients don’t have the choice of going bald, but it’s something that is just thrown at them. So we shaved to show that they shouldn’t be ashamed of what they look like because of what they are going through. They should wear it proudly because hair is just an accessory. We are all beautiful with and without it.”

–Blair Stevens

Morgan said she signed up immediately because of the connections she made through social media.

“I followed a few little kids on Facebook [with cancer] and I always felt helpless. It’s a personal thing as well so whenever I saw it I knew in my heart [fundraising] was the right thing to do,” Morgan said. “I can’t heal the [whole] world but maybe by doing this I can inspire others to join in and get excited about the cause. Because the biggest thing about childhood cancer is that is underfunded.”

The St. Baldrick’s Foundation is one of the largest private funders of childhood cancer research and provides more grants than any organization, except the U.S. government. To date, more than $178 million has been raised for research grants given to more than 350 institutions across the world.

“Cancer in general is a devastating disease, but thinking about children who get this disease before they have a chance to live life to the fullest really impacted me. I always see fundraisers for other types of cancer, but never one specifically for children,” Dufrene said.

Organizations like St. Baldrick’s fill in the gap for funding for research. The foundation awards grants to medical professions researching ways to cure childhood cancer.

Dufrene, who raised $1,700, said she would participate in Geaux Bald again in the future.

“Everything is given straight back to researchers who apply to grants, and they award the grants based on [what kind of research the medical professionals want to pursue],” Morgan said.

Morgan raised her goal of $4,000. “I felt very accomplished to achieve my goal,” Morgan said. “It’s OK if it doesn’t look OK. That is what this is all about. You can still be beautiful and not have this long, luxurious, flowy hair.”

A new style As bald-headed women, each of them has noticed a difference in some reactions of people who encounter them.

“I went to Chick-Fil-A, and I got a lot of weird stares,” Nix said. “I was [thinking], ‘It’s for children. I want you to ask me about it. Don’t just look at me.’” Nix, who has extra lines buzzed in her hair for style, said she wants to make her career about outreach. Both her grandmother and aunt suffered from cancer.

“I had actually made work about my aunt because she had lived in a rural part of Arkansas and she had to travel so far to get treatment, and it just seemed kind of a shame that you are already going through something so hard and it’s like a extra barrier,” Nix said. “I wanted to be able to contribute.”

Dufrene is still adjusting to her new style, but said she is glad that she did it. “It’s been a pretty interesting experience so far. I can’t stop feeling my hair,” Dufrene said. “Every now and then I’ll forget that I don’t have long hair anymore, so I’ll try to take my ponytail out or use too much shampoo. It’s taken a little adjusting, but I love it now.”

Though she went from long, brown hair to being completely bald, Dufrene said she is more confident with her new style.

“I think I’ve become a better me. I’m not as focused on my appearance. I’m more confident in myself. I have a little more spring in my step and keep my head raised while walking,” she said.

Morgan also noticed some stares. “Seeing how other people are trying to figure it out makes your more conscious of how you are when others are in this situation,” Morgan said. “I think it will help me be a better doctor.”