The bald truth of children's cancer
About 30 members of choir shave their heads in support of St. Baldrick's Foundation
Joce DeWitt
Issue date: 2/28/11 Section: News
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Yet facts hardly mean a thing until they concern a friend or family member. In the case of the Trippe family, the tragic prognosis of their 3-year-old daughter made what seemed a distant statistic a cold reality.
Diagnoses like 3-year-old Lilli Trippe's infant leukemia have been known to destroy and demobilize the hope of a victim's friends and family. However, it had the exact opposite effect on Lilli's mother, Kristin Trippe.
Kristin began a blog that recorded Lilli's struggle and encouraged the families of cancer victims to contribute. Fortunately, Kristin's blog fell into the hands of a charitable OSU music education coordinator and inspired a fundraiser to support children's cancer research.
"It's a crazy story, actually. Kristin started a blog at caringbridge.org about their struggle. The story was compelling, so I got into the blog," said Tina Bull, who has been a key element of OSU's music program for 16 years and conducts the women's choir, Bella Voce.
As Bull's own brother suffers from multiple myeloma and two of her three children have been seriously ill, Trippe's story resonated deeply with her.
After keeping up on the blog for quite some time, Bull became informed that Lilli, at one point, received healthy test results and her doctors declared her cancer-free. A few days later, however, more tumors were found.
"I woke up in the middle of the night and asked, 'How can we help this family?'" said Bull, who felt compelled to get involved after reading the heartbreaking news on Trippe's blog.
Well aware of the charitable character of OSU's choral singers, Bull first sought the help of her students to coordinate a fundraiser in Lilli's honor.
The St. Baldrick's Foundation, which provides more funds for childhood cancer research than any other organization apart from the U.S. government, became the designated avenue for the funds raised by a head-shaving event in which volunteers go bald in solidarity with children fighting cancer.
"I asked them first," Bull said of her choir members. "After that everything fell into place. Everyone rose to the occasion."
Willingness to participate in the event spread to communities outside of the music department. Bull was aware of 24 shavees and $11,000 in raised funds the day before the event - amounts that were not expected by anyone involved.
The event took place last night at the United Methodist Church on Monroe after a scholarship concert put on by three Oregon State University choirs.
"The point is to inspire questions," Bull said of the experience. "People voluntarily giving up their hair gives some hope to the children who have no choice. Everyone's hair will grow back."
Bull received notice from local hairstylist and owner of The Salon, Steve Johnson, that he and several of his employees wanted to volunteer as the event's head-shavers.
Discernible by the colorful leis around their necks, volunteers committed to shaving their heads wandered around the church anticipating a very noticeable change in their appearance; a bigger change, certainly, for some than others.
"I'm so grateful for the students going bald, especially the women," Bull said.
Among the shavees, seven were women from Bella Voce. Freshman Kelsey Burkum was nervous and excited as she awaited her turn.
Burkum admitted that the decision was not easy.
"It's a really big statement. Raising awareness is huge," Burkum said. "I didn't decide right away, but it sat in the back of my brain until I decided to do it."
Others said the choice was simple.
"It wasn't a hard decision," said Peter Remington from the men's choir. "The story was really inspiring."
Sophomore Typhani Ouderkirk, who agreed to part with her long locks for the first time, shared Burkum's pre-shaving sentiments and hoped it would raise awareness for the cause.
She also proclaimed the change wouldn't damage her self-image.
"I don't need my hair covering my face to feel pretty," she said.
The volunteer who played the most significant individual role in raising money for St. Baldrick's was someone who has been touched firsthand by Lilli's story from the beginning. Peggy Davis, Lilli's aunt, raised $6,300.
"I did it through social networking and the Yonder Mountain String Band," Davis said about Lilli's favorite blue grass musicians, who donated the proceeds of one of their performances to her cause. "I'm really looking forward to the opportunity of sharing Lilli's story."
Kristin Trippe's smile expressed her gratitude for all the participants. In her arms she carried Lilli, impossible to miss in her purple fairy wings.
"I think it's awesome to see everyone come together. I've been full of tears since I walked in," Trippe said. "There are so many kids that have to fight this every day, and to have Lilli be someone who can inspire someone to give back is incredible."
As the volunteers were called into the salon by groups, the buzzing sound of the razors was drowned out by cheers of encouragement and support by peers, friends and family members. Large numbers gathered around the shavees and their stylists to watch them go bald.
Lilli, along with a group of supporters, stood a foot away from her aunt's chair and playfully grabbed the cord of the electric razor that shaved Davis' head bald, a gesture that Lilli is sure to understand and value immensely as she grows older.
According to Bull, the event raised an estimated $13,000.
As volunteers continued to shave their heads and received 'Ask me why I'm bald' pins, Kristin walked around the room and observed people losing their hair in honor of her daughter's struggle and that of 160,000 other children diagnosed with cancer worldwide.
"It's overwhelming," she said. "It's overwhelmingly touching."
Home Depot of Corvallis is also making Lilli her very own playhouse, which will be installed at the Trippe's Kings Valley home in late March.
Joce DeWitt, staff writer
737-2231, news@dailybarometer.com
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