chayse and her wig

  • By Laurie Sidle
  • November 11, 2013
  • 409
                        
Christy Firebaugh knew it was no ordinary haircut. In her salon chair was 4-year-old Chayse Tankersley, who had relented to having her head shaved just a few weeks into her chemotherapy treatments. Her blonde hair was falling out in clumps as a side effect of the treatments and she would soon be starting preschool. Firebaugh, a licensed cosmetologist at Village Hairworks in Shreve, remembers fighting back tears as she ran the clippers through the girl’s blonde locks. “She was so brave and just sat there focused on me shaving all her hair off while holding her mommy’s hand,” Firebaugh said. In a show of solidarity, Chayse’s mom Whitny had her head shaved first. Chayse even got to help guide the clippers. Firebaugh knew a long road of treatments was ahead and she wanted to do more for Chayse, who in April was diagnosed with the most common form of childhood cancer - acute lymphoblastic leukemia, cancer of the blood. Her chance came unexpectedly during a benefit held for Chayse’s family, who also includes Chayse’s dad Adam, a younger sister Morgan, and a baby brother expected in a few weeks. While working at the benefit, Firebaugh was brainstorming about how she could help her new friend find a reasonably priced wig for her daughter when her name was called as the winner of the benefit’s 50/50 drawing. “I was so dumbfounded,” said Firebaugh, who immediately knew she would use some of the $180 to buy the wig and give the remaining funds back to the family “I know that donations are a blessing to the family,” Firebaugh said, “but I felt that Chayse should have something that's just hers and that would make her feel special.” The next morning she began to research the different types of wigs for children. “Chase told me she wanted a pink or purple wig,” Firebaugh said, smiling. “I told her to get clips of hair in those colors instead.” Whitny Tankersley made sure her daughter was OK with the idea of getting a wig. “I told her, ‘You’re obviously beautiful enough without the wig, but if you want it, we will get it.’” Finding what she called a “massive sale,” Firebaugh purchased a synthetic wig – those made with real hair tend to be much higher in price - in a style she thought was right for the girl. She and her daughter Maddie also went shopping for strands of purple and pink hair that Chayse could clip in the wig. She wound up spending just $50 for the wig and accessories. “It’s been overwhelming and heartwarming to see complete strangers and friends help us out,” said Whitny Tankersley, whose family just moved into a farmhouse on Newkirk Road near Shreve. She and Firebaugh met through mutual friends just months before Chayse was diagnosed. After reading on social media about Chayse’s illness, Firebaugh sent Whitny Tankersley a private message offering her services as a hair stylist. The diagnosis had Tankersley experiencing “a whole mix of emotions, mainly anger and sadness. I immediately went into defense mode. I said, ‘OK, where do we go…what do we do?” A psychologist at Akron Children’s Hospital, where Chayse is being treated, suggested a short haircut for the young patient so that by the time her hair started to fall out, it wouldn’t be as dramatic. “She’s always wanted Rapunzel hair,” her mother said, “so we knew it would be difficult for her to lose her hair.” The wig arrived in time for Chayse to start Triway Preschool in October. “She was afraid the kids would say something,” Whitny Tankersley said. But it has not been a problem. Chayse is in the maintenance phase of the disease, she said. This means she undergoes chemotherapy once a month and a spinal tap every three months. The treatment plan is expected to last two to two and a half years. Doctors have told the family Chayse has an 85-95 percent prognosis of being cured, Whitny Tankersley said. There’s a 5 percent chance she will have a relapse. Girls seem to respond better to treatment, she has learned, and her age – she is now 5 – is also an advantage. “Everything is stacked in her favor.” Asked what Firebaugh’s gift meant to her, Chayse said, “I think she’s beautiful!” Firebaugh feels a special bond to her young client. “When I got to meet this little girl,” she said, “little did I know she was going to end up being my hero.”


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