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By Kate Stevens
After a bone cancer diagnosis this summer, six-year-old Gracie LeBlanc is officially “rocking” the no-hair look after chemotherapy treatments caused most of her hair to fall out, says Brandi LeBlanc, Gracie’s mother.
When they venture from their Prairieville home, strangers’ stares don’t seem to bother the little girl at all, says Brandi LeBlanc. But, even so, Gracie was ecstatic to receive the gift of a handmade wig with soft, braided yarn hair inspired by the Disney princess Rapunzel from the Louisiana chapter of The Magic Yarn Project. This national non-profit organization is made up of volunteers called “magic makers” who create and donate princess and superhero wigs and beanies to children who have lost their hair from chemotherapy treatments and alopecia. “It’s wonderful they do this,” says Brandi LeBlanc, 39. “Just to see how they do it, the time they put into it. The wigs are extravagant. It’s not a simple wig. It’s very detailed. It’s amazing what they do.”
Founded and based in Palmer, Alaska, The Magic Yarn Project has delivered 10,400 wigs across the world to sick children battling cancer and other diseases that cause hair loss. The organization began when Alaskan oncology nurse Holly Christensen made a crocheted beanie with Rapunzel-inspired yarn hair for a friend’s daughter battling cancer. Then Christensen made a few more and the movement spread online.
The donated wig, with long braided yellow hair that’s nearly as long as Gracie is tall, was hand-delivered to her by Holly Martin, the Louisiana chapter leader of The Magic Yarn Project. The Magic Yarn Project has nine chapters nationwide with Martin leading not only volunteers in Louisiana but those in Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas, as well.
Just over a year ago, Martin, 56, of River Ridge, was on Facebook when information for The Magic Yarn Project popped up in her newsfeed. Martin clicked on the story and then called her husband, Chris, over to see it. “We both got tears in our eyes watching it,” Martin says. “I thought it was the sweetest thing.” Martin, who owns her own graphic design business for courtroom use, then donated several crocheted beanies to be distributed by the The Magic Yarn Project. After being asked to become a chapter leader, Martin flew to Alaska for training in the summer of 2018.
Most of the whimsical wigs are inspired by Disney princesses like Ariel, Rapunzel, Belle, Jasmine and Elsa while many of the boys prefer Captain Jack Sparrow pirate wigs or superhero beanies, says Martin. Only the softest yarn is used for these wigs, Martin says. “When they’re going through cancer treatments, their heads get very sensitive,” Martin says.
The wigs provide not only a useful head covering but the fantastical nature of the wig gives the sick child a bit of joy. Being able to forget about needles, hospitals and doctor’s appointments help the children act like normal, healthy children again, Martin says. “It helps them step out of the world of cancer,”
Martin usually holds workshops at the River Ridge Library where between 20-25 volunteers come to crochet, decorate, and assemble wigs, she says. Not everyone knows how to crochet, she says, so some volunteers sew superhero shields onto beanies while others assemble gift bags and decorate envelopes for wig recipients.
Volunteer Lori Rose, 56, of Mandeville, can’t crochet but helps move equipment needed for the workshops and networks and raises awareness about The Magic Yarn Project. “I hate asking people for money, but I’m pretty good at asking for it for a good cause,” says Rose.
The joy of helping families who have experienced so much heartache is what keeps her coming back to the organization. “Let me tell you, the parents were probably even more thrilled than the kids were,” says Rose. “We know they go through so much stuff. It’s just so nice just to have something to brighten their day. It just makes their day to make their kids happy.”
Volunteer Lori Cristina, of River Ridge, 55, can relate to some of the children fighting such an illness. “I had breast cancer a couple years back, and the thought of a child dealing with the loss of hair… it just seemed like a simple project that could make somebody happy,” Cristina says.
Martin says the local chapter has also had older children and young adults volunteer as part of team and service organizations. Natalie Bou, 15, of River Ridge, began volunteering with The Magic Yarn Project as a way to gain service hours for school. But her time spent there has turned into so much more, she says. “Making these wigs for sick children, I feel a sense of purpose and fulfillment,” says Bou. “When I volunteered at school fairs or other events, I never saw an impact on the people I was helping. I made those people happy, which felt nice, but nothing along the lines of helping a sick child. I get to see pictures and videos of these children enjoying their wigs and embracing their full selves.”
Bou, a sophomore at Archbishop Chapelle High School, learned to crochet from her grandmother and now has taken on the goal of creating one wig each month for her school’s gifted and talented program. She has already made 10 wigs and is ahead of schedule, she says.
More than 170 wigs from Martin’s chapter have already been delivered, and the organization has another 150 wigs produced and ready to ship. Many of these wigs have gone to children in Texas, but the local chapter has attended pediatric cancer survivor events at Children’s Hospital in New Orleans to raise awareness and distribute wigs.
While The Magic Yarn Project can’t help every sick child in the world, it can certainly make a difference in the life of a few.
“It’s really just heartwarming,” Martin says. “It’s sad that it has to be, but we can’t fix the world. We certainly can bring a little joy to children who are going through difficult times and their families.”
Kate Stevens is a freelance writer and frequent contributor to our sister publication, Nola Family.