C. S. Mott Children's Hospital
A Mother's Perspective:
Head Painting Helps Kids Adjust to a "Naked Noggin"
By Joan Ikeler, mother of former patient Jenny Ikeler, from the spring 2004 issue of Michigan Cares.
Jenny Ikeler shows off casts that were also painted by Adrienne Rudolph
In May 1998, our then 8-year old daughter, Jenny, was first diagnosed with cancer. She went through chemo, multiple surgeries, CT scans, bone scans, x-rays, echoes, cast changes, fever and neutropenia, blood transfusion, and countless days in the hospital. So, in the grand scheme of things, losing her hair was not the worst thing that could have happened to our child.
No one could have prepared us for the day, however – only two weeks after her first round of chemo – when our little girl’s hair began to fall out. There was no more denying it: Jenny really did have cancer. And now she would have the bald head to prove it!
As the initial shock of her “naked noggin” faded, we came to realize that hair does not make the person. Jenny was just as adorable to us without hair.
We learned baldness does have its advantages. If you’re in a hurry to go somewhere, voila! Just slip on a cap and you’re ready. No more tangles, curlers or washing and blow-drying. But the greatest thing about having two or less hairs on your head is…head painting!
Adrienne Rudolph, former Artist in Residence in the Child and Family Life Department, started painting heads when she came across a child who was having a difficult time adjusting to hair loss. Since then, head painting has become quite the fad on the cancer unit.
Jenny’s first paint job was a beautiful rainbow. She had flowers and clowns, Winnie the Pooh and even the Easter Bunny painted on her brow. We watched as she tried to sit perfectly still while her head became the “canvas” with paints and brushes dancing merrily across the “page.” Her giggles had to be suppressed so she wouldn’t ruin the paint.
What fun! For a little while, being bald was a blast! We have watched kids waiting in line for a turn to get their heads painted. Beautiful heads, no longer crowned with hair, but adorned with masterpieces.
For kids like Jenny, head painting was a wonderful blessing amid the pain, displaying the uniqueness of each child. Head painting made life with cancer a little less stressful and a whole lot more fun!
