Macon woman gets special haircut to help cancer patients

Carlene Howard knew that she had to get involved in some way when two members of her "work family" had their lives affected by cancer. So she got a haircut Thursday.

Howard, an administrative assistant with the Macon-Bibb County Fire Department, has worked with Relay for Life and the fire department's Pink Pancake efforts during the Cherry Blossom Festival, especially since her father died from cancer in 1997.

Then Emily Edwards, daughter of current assistant fire chief Shane Edwards, and Austin Freeman, grandson of former assistant fire chief Cliff Rushin, were diagnosed with cancer within months of each other.

Howard wanted to step up.

"I have been like their biggest cheerleader the whole time, and I tried to decide how I could give back," she said.

Howard decided to grow her hair out, just to have it cut and donated for the Pantene Beautiful Lengths program, which provides wigs for women who have lost their hair during cancer treatments. The program has fewer stipulations than similar initiatives, with its only one being that the hair has to be dry and at least 8 inches in length.

Not only did Howard provide that, but she let Emily and Austin do the cutting.

"I think it's good," said Janie Wise, a stylist at Sassy & Chic Salon on Ridge Avenue, where the haircut took place. "It's a wonderful thing for people to sacrifice their hair for the good of others."

Austin originally went through 10 months of chemotherapy and radiation for Ewing's sarcoma, a pediatric bone cancer on his pelvis. He went 15 months with "no evidence of disease," but it returned in June, Rushin said.

The 12-year-old has handled it well, though, his grandfather said.

"He's a fighter," Rushin said. "He's much older than his age; he's kind of like an old soul."

Austin, who will likely have surgery early next year, called the haircut an "interesting" concept.

"I think whoever has her hair is going to be very thankful and very blessed," he said.

Emily, 10, had a tumor cell on the meningeal covering surrounding her brain but last required treatment 18 months ago. Her mother, Mickie Edwards, said that the family has "grown stronger" through the process and enjoys seeing the kindness of others like Howard.

"The magnitude of things that just happen in the community, that are given and done for the kids," she said.

After the cut, which Wise finished up, Howard was excited about the "new Carlene" in the mirror. Earlier in the day, she admitted to being emotional when she was brushing her hair and thought about what would come next.

"It's the fact that somebody is going to now have hair because of me," she said.

To contact writer Jeremy Timmerman, call 744-4331 or find him on Twitter@MTJTimm.

This story was originally published October 22, 2015 at 6:20 PM with the headline "Macon woman gets special haircut to help cancer patients."