Palmer woman spearheads wig-making effort to help cancer patients

PALMER — What started as a personal project for one person has evolved into a national effort in support of child cancer patients.

Palmer resident Holly Christensen, a former cancer nurse, said that she felt the need to “get outside of” herself during a difficult time this past spring. Her solution was to make a princess wig of extra-soft yarn for her college friend’s daughter, a young girl who was experiencing hair loss due to cancer.

“It sparked something in me and has given me renewed energy and enthusiasm,” Christen wrote in a September Facebook message.

The one wig sparked something in other people, too. After Christensen shared a photo of the girl wearing the wig she made, word of her talent and idea spread quickly.

“My post was shared over 2 dozen times, some by people I don't even know. Family, friends, and complete strangers have reached out … and offered donations of yarn, money, and their time to put the wigs together,” she wrote in a follow-up Facebook post.

Christensen said she has heard from eight hospitals throughout the country that are interested in providing wigs for young cancer patients. With more than $2,000 raised through a Go Fund Me page and dozens of willing volunteers, Christensen said it’s time to start sewing.

Christensen has already arranged delivery with three hospitals.

“We are hoping for more exposure and donations to be able to make more of these wigs. We are contemplating setting up video tutorials on an online website as multiple groups nationwide have expressed interest making these wigs in their communities,” she wrote in an October Facebook message.

An individual wig consists of a soft, crocheted beanie made from “baby” yarn attached to a long braid or length of regular, colored yarn (the hair). Each wig costs $10-15 to make.

On Saturday, Oct. 17, more than 40 people came through the multi-purpose room at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) across from Colony High School to help make these wigs.

Wigmaker-for-a-day Candice Bales said she saw the “Magic Yarn Project Workshop” advertised on Facebook when a friend “liked” the event page, and was immediately intrigued.

As the former Assistant Attorney General for Child Protection in Alaska, “helping kids is really important to me,” Bales said.

So even though she has “zero craftiness,” she said, she volunteered to help, and found the wig-making easier than expected.

“If I can do one of these, anyone can,” Bales said.

Local LDS member Michelle McPherson said she too was impressed with the ease of constructing a princess wig.

“It doesn’t take a lot of time but the payoff is huge for these little girls,” she said, while making a “Rapunzel” wig at the workshop.

McPherson’s friend, Rita Christiansen, agreed, saying that options for girls with hair loss is sometimes limited. Cheap wigs can be too harsh on a child’s scalp, while the higher quality wigs that cancer patients can buy are often too expensive (and usually, they’re not modeled after Disney princesses like “The Little Mermaid” and “Elsa” from “Frozen”).

Holly Christensen said the Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage and cancer centers in St. Louis, Missouri and Salt Lake City are gathering requests for wigs now. Once the wigs are distributed, she said, maybe she and fellow project manager Bree Hitchcock will endeavor to make The Magic Yarn Project a full-blown nonprofit organization.

Another layer

The project is of benefit to more than the child cancer patients in Alaska and beyond. While workshop attendees needed only have enough patience to tie lengths of yarn to crocheted beanies, it was the female inmates at Hiland Mountain Correctional Center in Eagle River who produced the more than 100 hats available at the workshop.

Christensen said she heard about a crocheting club at the prison from a friend who has helped supply the club with yarn and fabric in the past.

“It’s changed the whole atmosphere of the place,” Christensen said, based on what she’s heard from a representative at the correctional center (who was not reachable as of press time).

Christensen said she hopes the effort there can continue alongside the public project.

The next workshop is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 7 from 1 to 4 p.m., at the same LDS church.

For more information, visit facebook.com/magicyarnwigs or gofundme.com/magicyarn.

Contact reporter Caitlin Skvorc at 352-2266 or caitlin.skvorc@frontiersman.com.