Light and joy aren’t terms that come to mind when you consider someone undergoing chemotherapy, but a former nurse is bringing light – and a touch of magic – to children suffering from cancer.
Holly Christensen has begun weaving Disney-style princess wigs for kids undergoing cancer treatment.
As stories of these fairytale wigs spread, parents asked for similar wig styles for their children. So began The Magic Yarn Project; handmade wigs designed to bring light and joy into the lives of children suffering the devastating effects brought on by cancer and its treatment.
A bit of backstory:
Ms. Christensen was working as a nurse in a small Anchorage Alaska suburb when her college friend’s three-year-old daughter was diagnosed with cancer. Facing chemotherapy treatment it was fairly certain the girl would lose her hair. Holly set out to make the daughter a wig and give the little girl something to smile about. She weaved a long blond-haired Rapunzel wig adorned with colourful flowers. The little girl was thrilled, “She absolutely loved it and her mother expressed that it brought joy and light to an otherwise difficult and dark time during her life.” Holly had found a new way of helping kids with cancer. She brought in a friend and together they started to make more wigs as part of what they would later call The Magic Yarn Project.
The Magic Yarn Project today:
Ms. Christensen has sought help from crowdsourcing to bring her fairytale princess wigs to children in hospitals across the United States. The wigs are free and are made by volunteers, including by a group of women’s prisoners who make crafts. The Project has raised over $5000, and at The Magic Yarn Project workshop, 40 wigs were crafted by dozens of helping hands. Each wig weft is made of a soft material to protect a patient’s skin. “The chemotherapy leaves their skin very tender and sensitive.”[The wigs] are made on soft crocheted beanies.”
Wigs can help bring light to a dark situation. Human hair wigs are made of fine hair follicles that look natural and feel soft. Making a magical human hair wig is just one of the ways you can spread joy and hope to kids coping with cancer.
