"My family goes back three generations in Washington, D.C. I went to Florida for college, but couldn't take the heat and lack of culture there, so I moved back to this area. I transferred to the University of Maryland and got a job as a DJ. At the time, I was all rock and roll and had a pink mohawk. After school, I cleaned up a little and took a job at IBM. I started off in administration and ended up as a systems engineer, which is something that none of my friends know because I don't have a cell phone and people think of me as a technophobe. I was actually a Unix systems engineer.
“All through my working life, I was always searching for this really creative career. I worked at a number of big organizations, but always felt like a fish out of water. Then I got sick a number of years ago and had to leave the work force. I spent ten years flailing around and had no focus. I was spending a lot of time at home and started making colorful wigs out of yarn because I always dressed slightly out of the norm. I started making them for my friends who were in the arts and began holding wig-making workshops.
“At the time, I lost a number of people to cancer who meant a lot to me. One in particular was Kimberly ‘Kaihea’ Rupp. She told me that she wished she could come to one of my workshops and make a wig, as she had experienced hair-loss at the time of chemotherapy. At the time, I hadn't figured out how to attach the wig to a bare scalp. I have always regretted that I didn’t figure out how to make her a fabulous wig, but I named this project in her honor. Now we make wigs on bandana-shaped wig-caps.
“Cancer is a really frightening thing, and I wanted to find a way to make women and children feel like rock stars. I think that people who lose their hair to medical treatments go through a period when they are grieving about their own loss, especially after chemotherapy. We are all walking canvases of art. I have always believed that the face deserves a proper frame of hair. More than anything, our hair is a simple representation of what our attitude is on the inside. I hope that on the days when people who are ill feel like they don’t have a lot of light, these wigs will help them illuminate their beautiful inner colors.
“Now I wear my wig most of the time. Originally, I did it because I thought it looked cool. I wear it in solidarity with people who have gone through something more terrifying than I can imagine. This project has given me something to identify with after feeling so devoid of life for so long after I had gotten sick. With this project, I feel plugged into life again.”
Learn more about Hair-Flair for Hope, Sherri's organization, here. To donate money, materials or time, email Sherri at info@hairflairforhope.org.
7 comments:
Sherri, Thank you for your gifts to those in need. I agree that hair is both a frame of the face and a window into our soul. Embracing the loss of something so dear by wearing such loud wigs makes a powerful statement. May your work bring continued strength to you and those you help.
As a cancer survivor, the significance of losing one's hair is immense. While I don't know if I would have been bold enough to wear one of Sherri's colorful wigs, I appreciate what she is doing for those suffering hair-loss from cancer.
You are one awesome spirit. Thank you for sharing your JOY. Imagine and Live in Peace, Mary Helen Fernandez Stewart
Beautiful, Amazing and SO Inspiring!
Brightest of Blessings to you and yours!
oxo
Very inspiring. Best to you!
I wear a baseball cap to cover my bald spot, but sometime I run into trouble. Out of respect and custom, I have to remove my hat in church or in court. Some teachers don't allow hats in class either. But a Warhol Wig (tm) solves the problem, except that on hot days it creates sweaty new ones. But at least they can't make you take your chic wig off!
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