Penn State students show solidarity with pediatric cancer patients

Tara Landis watched quietly when her hair fell to the tile floor.

She witnessed the physical toll that cancer puts on children — Landis was 14 when her best friend’s sister died from the disease.

The Penn State junior chooses to shave her head every February for children who don’t have a choice. Landis was one of 227 students who signed up for No Hair, Don’t Care in Evolve Studio, where they had their heads shaved four days before the Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon.

“I think a lot of guys do it for the kids, but guys aren’t the only ones who get cancer and lose their hair,” Landis said. “I can’t imagine what these young girls and teenage girls go through, the bullying just because they’re bald, and they don’t have a say in it.”

The fourth annual No Hair, Don’t Care surpassed its popularity of previous years. Just 76 students preregistered in 2015.

Head men’s basketball coach Patrick Chambers and others from Penn State athletics pledged to match the first 150 students who made $10 donations, a feat some within Thon weren’t sure would happen.

“We didn’t know if we could reach 150, and then we hit 150 in two days,” Thon spokeswoman Graceanne Domino said.

It was Chambers’ fourth consecutive year supporting No Hair, Don’t Care.

“The gentleman who started it, P.J. Tatano, literally cut my hair in my office bathroom to kick this off four years ago,” Chambers said. “It was pretty amazing when he came to me with this idea. I have four healthy children. I’m blessed, so I said I’d do it.”

Rick Melli, a junior, wouldn’t shave his long hair if it wasn’t for Thon. He got his head shaved with five friends, all dancer relations co-captains for Thon, at the same time.

“If it can put a smile on a kid’s face, it’s worth it,” Melli said.

Senior Jimmy Quinn, the first person to get shaved Monday, cut ties with his hair for the first time.

“I’ve never done this before, and I really wanted to try it,” Quinn said. “A couple of my friends mentioned it. I kind of thought, “Well I like my long hair, but I can do this for the kids.’ It’s the least we can do to show them our support.”

Quinn tried to give his stylist, Drea Noll, a tip.

“I told him to make a little bit of an extra donation to Thon,” Noll said. “It would have really felt inappropriate to take it, and this feels really like a way we can get involved. If you’re not a student, it’s hard to get involved, so this is special for us, too.”

This story was originally published February 15, 2016 at 3:55 PM with the headline "Penn State students show solidarity with pediatric cancer patients."