Hair falls for a friend

Firefighters shed hair, whiskers for one of their own who is battling cancer

By Jennifer Eisenbart

Editor

      It’s amazing sometimes how small a gesture can turn into such a huge deal.

      For City of Burlington firefighter John Hanson, on Saturday, he seemed unable to truly comprehend how people could just turn up at Towne and Country Lanes Friday night, and lose their hair.

      Just for him.

      “I was overwhelmed with the attention,” said Hanson after about 30 of the City of Burlington firefighters showed up at the bowling alley to have their heads shaved.

      Hanson, who was diagnosed with Hodgkin Lymphoma in November of last year, has been struggling with an infection in his surgically implanted chemo port for the last week or so. He’s also losing his hair.

      He was the first one to take to the small stage at the bowling alley to get his head shaved, but many others followed. And as each one took the stage, more and more money made its way into the fireman’s boot at the foot of the stage.

      It became a challenge, almost, as each firefighter – some losing their head of hair, others their mustaches, still others both – started to up the ante, requesting a certain amount to put in the boot before they parted with their hair.

      Long-time firefighter Dan Fallon refused to part with his hair and his mustache until he had more than $300 in hand.

      He got it.

A hard diagnosis

      Hanson’s original diagnosis in November was a double hernia. He was scheduling surgery for that when doctors did an x-ray.

      “They saw a mass on the chest x-rays,” he said.

      It was discovered to be cancer, and treatment began almost immediately. It hasn’t been easy, as bills have begun to pile up, his hair has begun to fall out and, as of recently, his chemo port has become infected and doctors are still trying to narrow down the cause.

      He has been fighting a fever, headaches and backaches, but on Friday, all that went away for a few hours – at least, from an emotional standpoint.

      “You think you know these people, and they just continue to overwhelm you,” Hanson explained. “I have a whole new appreciation on fundraisers.”

The brotherhood

      Hanson called the fire department a brotherhood, and judging by other responses from members – both volunteer and paid – it’s a shared sentiment.

      “People don’t really realize how close-knit a group doing that kind of work (is),” said Mark Strasser. “The amount of camaraderie and brotherhood…

      “There’s times you fight like brothers. But then the tones go off.”

      Through it all, both good and bad, Strasser said the main goal is to “try to help them through.”

      Thus Friday’s event was born. A fundraiser, yes, but mainly a show of support.

      Strasser’s mustache had been growing for about as long as Fallon’s – both at about 30 years.

      “Last time it came off, my daughter was three,” Strasser said. “She ran into me in the bathroom and half of it came off.”

      It was gone in far less time, a smile on Strasser’s face as Linda Reiherzer buzzed off the facial hair. Strasser also admitted his hair was longer than usual. He grew it longer when he found out about the fundraiser so there was “more to cut off.”

      Strasser wasn’t the only one parting with hair. After continually saying “no” to the idea of a buzz cut, Frank Solofra finally took to the stage and let one of the many stylists take his hair down a few notches, and Fire Chief Perry Howard got up on stage as well.

      “It’s been a while,” Howard said of the buzz cut. “During the warm weather, especially during the summer, I’ll go a little bit shorter.

      “But this was a new experience, especially this time of year.”

      Even the children of firefighters got into the fun. While some got their heads shaved, others reacted – in the case of John Niederer’s daughter, with a bit of trepidation.

      Niederer, who set up the event, watched as his daughter, 18 months, started to sob as her father lost his hair. She did get over the transformation enough, however, to give her father a hug after he descended the stage.

      The stylists came from Ken and Sue Nelson’s Nelson’s Mane Concern, Reiherzer from Linda’s Nail and Hair Care (she rents from the Nelsons) and from barbering students of Sue Nelson’s at Gateway Technical College.

      Hanson said Saturday he didn’t want to talk publicly about the amount the station raised for him. What he did concede, though, was that it was needed.

      “The chemo bills are killing me, but this is a godsend in hiding for me,” said Hanson.

      And it was, seemingly, for everyone else as well. For all of the people there, most got their hair cut in one way or another. One firefighter – John McCourt – went so far as to have Reiherzer shave his head completely with a razor.

      “It was a good night,” Strasser said. “It was all about support.

      “There’s so many people who need that,” he added, saying Hanson was one of those.

      And as Hanson put it?

      “There’s a love in that station that shows.”