Knitting Disney Princess wigs for children fighting cancer was the brainchild of 31-year old mother Holly Christensen, who through the help of fellow mother, Bree Hitchcock, organized the Magic Yarn Project, which aims to provide more wigs for pediatric cancer patients around the country.
In an interview with Buzzfeed, Holly said that she came up with the idea after she made a Rapunzel yarn wig for her friend's child who was battling cancer. Kids undergoing chemotherapy, and losing hair, can be traumatizing and Holly thought that by making these little girls feel like a princess, it can make them more comfortable.
"I am a nurse and have been a cancer nurse in the past, which is what has given me the drive and passion for this project. This project was first inspired when I found out last fall that the daughter of one of my college friends was diagnosed with cancer at the tender age of 2," Holly said.
"Knowing how sick she would get and how difficult it would likely be for her to lose her long, blonde curly hair, and knowing that the chemotherapy would make her bare scalp too sensitive and tender to wear a traditional wig, I made her a Rapunzel yarn wig on a soft crocheted beanie and sent it to her."
Holly shared that the little girl who was battling cancer loved the Rapunzel wig and so it "lit a fire" inside her and thought about making wigs for cancer stricken children around the country. Knowing she would need a lot of help on the project, on September, she took to Facebook to request for yarn donations and to her surprise, the request went viral.
According to TheMarySue.com, Holly had been contacted by hundreds of donors and volunteers already. Holly was able to produce a first batch of 40 wigs given freely to children's hospitals around the U.S. They now have a GoFundMe page and another batch of wigs will be distributed this month.
