Compassionate “Scissorhands” – Angelic hairstylist of the cancer wards

At the cancer care ward of Hualien’s Mennonite Christian Hospital, hairstylist Lin Ya-qing (林雅卿) silently shuttles from room to room serving patients. Community social worker at the hospital Li Dong-mei (李冬梅), recalled a visit to Lin Ya-qing’s hair salon three years previously, where, while having her hair cut, she took a chance in asking Lin Ya-qing if she would be interested in volunteering her skills at the hospital’s cancer care ward; to Li Dong-mei’s surprise, salon manager Lin Ya-qing and a number of her colleagues readily agreed.

Thereafter, on the first week of March, June, September, and December each year, Lin Ya-qing and her colleagues began voluntarily cutting the hair of patients at the hospital’s cancer care ward. Slowly, a mutual understanding developed, where the patients and their families would amass on the first week of the specified months, and wait in line for a haircut.

Social worker Li Dong-mei said that patients and their families have to support each other, and that family members usually have barely enough time to cut their own hair, let alone that of their loved ones. Additionally, as patients often require chemotherapy and are not recommended to go out alone, having their hair done is very inconvenient.

These were the original reasons that motivated Li Dong-mei to ask for the hairstylists’ help and she is deeply grateful to the hair salon’s owner and the hairstylists for all their assistance over the past three years, and all completely free of charge. 

Lin Ya-qing chooses to keep her heartfelt feelings of encouragement for the patients to herself, and simply focus her mind on styling hair. Social worker Li Dong-mei said that cutting the patients’ hair is far from easy. Though some of the patients are still mobile and able to queue up for a haircut, in cases where patients are confined to bed, dependent on an intravenous cannula or require an oxygen mask, Lin Ya-qing must work with extreme caution, which takes a great deal more labor and effort. Patients’ family members are all incredibly grateful for the diligent work of their angelic hairstylist.

Compassionate “Scissorhands” – Angelic hairstylist of the cancer wards

URL:https://www.peopo.org/news/269491 

(以下是中文對照)

愛心剪刀手，病房癌友的美髮天使

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在花蓮門諾醫院的安寧腫瘤病房裡，髮型設計師林雅卿，默默地穿梭在走道與病房中為病人服務。門諾社服課社工李冬梅回想三年前到林雅卿的店裡剪髮消費時，當時只想問看看碰碰運氣，問林雅卿有沒有意願到安寧病房幫病人義剪，沒想到店長跟幾個同事一口答應，每年的3、6、9、12月的第一週，林雅卿跟同事就會到醫院安寧病房幫病人剪髮。病人跟家屬也很有默契的會在這幾個月的第一週，到交誼廳排隊等剪髮。

社工李冬梅說，病友與家屬必須互相扶持，家屬平常根本無暇梳理自己，病人除了因為常常必須化療，也不建議單獨外出，所以梳理也不是很方便，因此才有請設計師來醫院幫忙的想法，李冬梅也很感謝理髮廳的老闆娘跟設計師們，三年來沒有收取任何的費用。

林雅卿選擇把對病友的鼓勵放在心中，用心幫癌友妝點髮型；社工李冬梅說，其實幫病人剪頭髮是非常不容易的，有些還能行動的癌友可以走道交誼廳來排隊剪髮，但已經無法下床、必須臥床或是帶插管或氧氣罩的病友，林雅卿必須更小心翼翼為他們服務，必須花費更多勞力與心力，病人家屬對於這位剪髮天使都非常感謝。