As a young mother with three kids, Holly Christensen understands the importance of a child's happiness. As a former oncology nurse, she has also witnessed many battles against cancer. She brought the important aspects in her life together — health, happiness, and motherhood — to fuel her efforts in giving children with cancer something they sometimes desperately need: just a little bit of joy.
The Magic Yarn Project brings people together in workshops and fundraiser events to make Disney-princess-inspired wigs for young cancer patients. The chemotherapy makes the skin on their heads very sensitive, and often the patients cannot wear regular wigs. She found that the "baby" yarn she uses made a beautiful substitute, and can perfectly mimic the texture and look of a Disney princess's hair.
Holly still needs donations and volunteers to continue to help bring smiles to these kids' faces. While her Facebook and GoFundMe pages have attracted some attention, she's still in the beginning stages of her work. So far, the organization has been able to give more than 40 yarn wigs to kids in need, free of charge — all thanks to volunteers and donations!
Holly got the idea for the Magic Yarn Project while she was making a Rapunzel yarn wig for a friend's 3-year-old daughter, who was diagnosed with lymphoma.
The little girl's illness struck a chord with her instincts as a mother and a nurse.
She tells Babble, "I knew she would be going through a difficult time, and that no one would be able to take her suffering away. I also knew that losing her long, curly blonde hair at not even 3 years old would be difficult for her, so I figured that the yarn wig could help bring a little magic and fun to a difficult time in her life."
She started the Magic Yarn Project with her partner, Bree Hitchcock. Now, they make all kinds of princess-inspired wigs for cancer patients all over the country.
The organization teams up with families and hospitals to distribute the wigs.
But now, they need a little help. An outpouring of support has provided them with volunteers both old and young, and donations. The money goes toward purchasing the supplies needed to make the wigs and the cost of delivering them. But any kind of help is always welcome and needed.
Now Holly's creations are taking the internet by storm. With Elsa, Anna, Rapunzel, and the Little Mermaid wigs among others, we're sure she's spreading joy to these little girls in their time of need.
On the organization's Facebook page, she writes, "What better way to comfortably cover a little girl's head and help her feel like a 'princess' again than with a beautiful, handmade yarn wig built on a soft crocheted beanie? This is Magic Yarn's mission: to create these beautiful wigs for little cancer patients nationwide."
If you're inspired by this mom's kindness and generosity, please SHARE her story to help bring awareness to her projects!
