Document Type

Article

Publication Date

Fall 2016

Abstract

It was a cool day in the fall of 2014, and the leaves had just begun to change. As I turned the corner to enter the Campus Center, there stood Sarah Stelfox. Long brown locks framed her face and the movement of her hair revealed the gentle breeze which caressed the day. I remember this day as the day I met Sarah, but the encounter which has left the deepest impression on me was a cold winter evening in 2016, when Sarah bounded into Campus Ministries for Tuesday Night Talk.

The first thing I noticed were her snow covered boots, but as my eyes scanned upward I caught her vibrant smile and then, to my surprise, her shiny bald head. It was this day that I had the privilege of seeing a beautiful spirit of compassion, empathy and adventure in Sarah.

Sarah’s mother had been diagnosed with melanoma, rapidly had to undergo brain surgery and was now in chemotherapy. Sarah recounted to me that some time ago a friend had made a deep impression on her when she shaved her head for a cause and Sarah had thought from that time forward that one day she wanted do the same. So when Sarah’s mom was fighting cancer, feeling down and faced with losing her hair, Sarah told her mom that she would shave her head and be bald with her. What happened next? Download her story to find out.

Thank you, Sarah, for letting your story be part of the Andrews story; for showing us an example of compassion, empathy and adventure. You and your story are part of the spirit of Andrews.

June Price

University Chaplain

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