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.”