When a haircut became a moment of healing
Ayşe Şahin, starts each day portioning, distributing and serving meals to the many patients across Kayseri City Hospital in Türkiye. Working at the hospice, she meets people at their most vulnerable moments and helps those going through a difficult time.
“I make sure meals are diet-friendly, hot and on time but it’s a brief smile or a warm hello that can make a patient’s day,” Ayşe says. “I believe that kindness and care can really help people heal. Connecting with patients and supporting them emotionally brings me joy.”
One day, while serving food in the children’s cancer ward, Ayşe overheard a doctor speaking with a mother of a teenage patient. The young girl was about to lose her hair due to treatment, and her mother wanted to help her cut it before the treatment made it fall out.
“She was such a young girl, and her hair was her confidence. I wanted to be there for her, so because of my background as a hairdresser, I offered to cut her hair.”
Due to infection risks, no external hairdresser was allowed to enter the room, so Ayşe’s offer brought immediate joy and relief to the family. With permission from the hospital, Ayşe carefully prepared a sterile environment to cut the young patient’s hair.
“When I first offered to help, the young patient and her mother hugged themselves and cried with happiness. When I was cutting her hair, I wanted to make her feel special. I cut and styled it short and used the hair to make a wig for her. She kept her hair styled that way until it started to fall. When she eventually put the wig on, she was so happy. It meant a lot to me to see her smiling.”
