A good hair day and a kind gesture can make all the difference.

Lucy Vasquez, TMC administrative assistant and volunteer, tries to make that happen for families with babies in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit at Tucson Medical Center.

Vasquez facilitates a weekly NICU support group that is held in the Ronald McDonald House Family Room at TMC, but an encounter with one of the mothers there led her to do more.

“When I started facilitating the NICU support group, my goal was to emphasize the importance of self-care, asking parents if they were truly taking care of themselves,” she said. “These small acts of self-care remind us that we still matter, despite our circumstances.”

Having been a NICU mom herself – her son was born weighing only 1 lb., 12 ounces, requiring a three-month NICU stay -  Vasquez knows all too well how important support is for families, especially for women. So, when one mom expressed that she needed a haircut, but didn’t have the means or time to get one, she knew exactly what to do – she is a licensed cosmetologist, after all.

Vasquez got her styling kit and showed up at the Ronald McDonald House to give this mother a haircut. While she was cutting her hair, the two talked and the stress of the NICU faded, at least for a while. When she finished, more parents – both moms and dads – started asking for haircuts too.

“This mission to provide care and support to others became my purpose and my journey began,” she said. “One haircut can make a world of difference to someone, and to me that means the world. I can’t solve every problem, but if I can bring a moment of peace and self-worth with a haircut, then I am doing what I was meant to do.”

Providing haircuts is more than just hair – it’s about human connection. Vasquez loves doing this so much, that she now also volunteers at Sister Jose’s Women’s Shelter and Gospel Rescue Mission.

“It’s about holding space for someone’s story and reminding them of their worth and dignity,” she said. “It’s about sisterhood and telling every woman facing challenges: You are visible, you are whole, and you are so, so worthy.”

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If you are interested in becoming a volunteer at TMC, learn more and apply here.