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Happening ... in the Local Church
“Hairless for Hannah”: Scores turn out to support teen cancer patient
‘People were really in spirit with her’
   From left above are Aaron Roth, Hannah’s brother; Father Phil Haslinger, associate pastor of St. Louis de Montfort Parish, Fishers; and Marcia Murphy, librarian at St. Theodore Guerin High School in Noblesville. (Photos by Caroline B. Mooney) |
 St.
Theodore Guerin freshman Matt Marske wears a T-shirt in support of
classmate Hannah Roth. “I’d do anything for Hannah,” he said at the Nov.
19 fund raiser. |
 Luke
Hackerl, a freshman at St. Theodore Guerin High School, gets his hair
cut in support of classmate Hannah Roth, who had to cut her hair short
before losing it as a side effect of chemotherapy. |
|
|
After
hearing that the Roth family had cut their hair along with Hannah, my
husband suggested we have a haircut party,” said Joanie Zigmond, at
right with husband Scott. “I am just so happy that it came together like
it did. People were really in spirit with her —By Caroline B. Mooney
The Catholic Moment
FISHERS — The “Hairless for Hannah” fund raiser here was a big success —
scores of people shaved their heads in solidarity with a 15-year-old cancer
patient on Nov. 19.
Salon Krelic hosted the benefit in honor of Hannah Roth, parishioner of St. Louis de Montfort Church and a freshman at St. Theodore Guerin High School in Noblesville. Hannah had cut her hair short before losing it as a side effect of chemotherapy treatments.
“More than 100 people had their hair buzzed,” Joanie Zigmond, event organizer, said. “Toward the end of the event, about a dozen girls had their ponytails cut off. We raised $3,090.20.”
Stylists at the salon were on hand to shave heads; for those not ready to go bald, gift certificates and raffle tickets were sold. Guests could sign a keepsake book.
One hundred percent of bald styling donations, 10 percent of all AVEDA products purchased and 50 percent of haircut certificate proceeds went to the Hannah Roth Fund.
Hannah was admitted to the Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital at St. Vincent on Oct. 3, after feeling tired, nauseous and in some pain, according to her mother, Lisa Roth. After testing, doctors found a large cancerous tumor on her liver, which was diagnosed as hepatoblastoma. The hope is that chemotherapy will shrink the tumor so Hannah can have a liver transplant.
“Looking back,” Roth said, “we knew something was wrong with her. … She had gained 35 pounds in eight months — 10 of those in the last month, but she wasn’t eating anything different.
“She has always been very athletic,” she said. “But at the end of eighth-grade basketball season she started to gain weight, wasn’t as active and there was a personality change. I would ask her, ‘Hannah, what’s wrong? You’re not yourself,’ and she didn’t know why.
“We are praying,” Roth said. “I pray God will just do the best thing for Hannah. When she was first hospitalized, I just asked God to let me know that she was going to live. I came across a Scripture that said, ‘I know the plans I have for you,’ and another one about fear. I don’t need to be afraid — even Abraham had to put Isaac on the altar. I just had a sense that even though things look bad, God will use this to glorify him. That’s our prayer — that God will be glorified.”
The Little Sisters of the Poor at the St. Augustine Home in Indianapolis have written a prayer for Hannah and are praying for the intercession of their foundress, Blessed Jeanne Jugan, for a complete healing. One more miracle is needed for the cause for Blessed Jeanne Jugan’s canonization — the prayer is that Hannah will be that miracle.
Hannah has three brothers: David, 17, a senior at Guerin Catholic; Aaron, 13, and Sammy, 8, both at St. Louis de Montfort School.
“They are doing well,” Roth said. “My husband and I are doing OK — we have our moments, but we have been praying and are being positive. I have 13 siblings and they are all praying now — some of them didn’t pray before.
“The hardest part is seeing Hannah suffer,” she said. “She handles it well, though, she’s a trouper.”
While she was hospitalized, a psychiatrist asked Hannah if she had three wishes, what would they be?
“Her first wish was that no one else would ever have to go through this,” her mother said. “Neither of us can even remember her second wish, but when he asked what her third wish would be, she said, ‘I want someone else to have my third wish.’”
Hannah had hoped to attend the fund raiser, but was hospitalized that day. Her brothers and father were there.
“After hearing that the Roth family had cut their hair along with Hannah, my husband suggested we have a haircut party,” Zigmond said. “I ran the idea by my hairstylist, who said we should have it at the salon, and the owner agreed.
“Hannah is one of my daughter’s best friends,” she said. “I am just so happy that it came together like it did. People were really in spirit with her — you could feel the unity there.”
“This was a genius idea,” said Billy Coon, a junior at Guerin Catholic who had his hair buzzed at the event. “When she sees pictures of this, she’ll think, ‘Wow, look at all the people who care for me.’”
“I don’t know Hannah really well because she is a freshman, but I went to the fund raiser because she’s a part of our family,” Marcia Murphy, media services director at the school, said. “My own kids were upset with me for cutting my hair, but I asked them to think about how they would feel if people were doing this for them.
“I was thinking that when you put everything into perspective, hair is nothing compared to what she’s going through,” she said. “I wish cutting my hair could really help her somehow.”
Murphy said it was amazing to see all the bald people walking around at school the next day. Some students who weren’t able to attend the fundraiser asked her to bring in her hair clippers so they could also go “hairless” for Hannah.
“I went primarily to support Hannah,” said Father Phil Haslinger, associate pastor of St. Louis de Montfort Church, who got a buzzcut at the fund raiser. “I felt it was a neat thing to be doing to identify with her and what she was going through. The hair loss is such a hard thing for people — especially women — to go through.”
“The fund raiser was really a fun night,” said Jenny Sergio, a graduate student living with the Roth family. “We couldn’t believe how much money was raised. Hannah and her parents were amazed at the support and the turnout.
“On Thanksgiving Day, we all went to a relative’s house,” Sergio said. “Hannah really enjoyed time with her cousins. She was able to eat some dinner. In the last three to four days, it’s been remarkable — she’s gotten color back and been walking around the house, watching movies with the family. She was able to go to her brother’s basketball game.”
On Nov. 25, Hannah attended Mass for the first time since before she got sick.
“It’s really lifted everyone’s spirits,” Sergio said. “We are all praying for her.”
Donations to the Hannah Roth Fund can be mailed to: Hannah Roth Fund (Account # 7653879150), Fifth Third Bank, 11662 Commercial Blvd., MD 843451, Fishers, IN 46038.
A prayer for Hannah
God the Father, we praise and thank you for providing all that is good. We
implore your mercy, though the power of the Holy Spirit, upon our sister
Hannah Roth. Through the intercession of Blessed Jeanne Jugan, we ask for
complete healing for Hannah. We also pray that this miracle might be the
cause for Blessed Jeanne Jugan’s canonization. We ask these things in the
name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.