Massapequa teen with cancer gets makeover from 'fairy godfathers'

In a salon in Seaford on Saturday, Lexi Shaw had her hair and makeup done by two men who called themselves her Fairy Godfathers.

Shaw, a 15-year-old from Massapequa who was diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma in June, was treated to a new wig and makeover by My Fairy Godfathers,  a nonprofit started by Andrew Ashton and Steven Anderson to "empower women through beauty,” Anderson said. The duo, who are based in Tampa, Florida, give makeovers to victims of domestic violence or girls like Shaw who are fighting cancer.

“I think this is something that can really lift people up,” Anderson said. “Lexi’s had a rough few months, and I think little things like just getting her eyebrows filled in can make you feel transformed.”

Anderson said he learned about Shaw from his sister, Teresa Colgan, who is Shaw’s English teacher at Massapequa High School.

On Saturday, Shaw, who lost her hair from chemotherapy during the summer, tried on four wigs. She liked the honey color of one wig but said she couldn’t see herself with bangs.

Then she tried on a long wig with loose ringlets running through it. It was the one closest to her natural hair color, said Shaw. And when she studied herself in the mirror, she said it made her look like she had before her treatment.   

“Don’t cry,” Shaw told her mother, who had become emotional while Ashton ran a comb through the hair.

Debbie Shaw, 49, said it was difficult for her daughter to lose her hair, but she’s remained strong throughout her treatment.  

“The hair loss was bad,” Debbie Shaw said. “She cried for a few minutes after they shaved it off, but once it was gone, she was fine.”

Shaw’s family and friends gathered at Philip Michael Salon on Saturday. They watched as Anderson applied her makeup. He carefully filled in her eyebrows, brushed on some eye shadow and brought color back to her cheeks.

“She looks great,” Shaw’s friend, Bree Horne, said. “Her skin looks like it has some color again."

Ashton straightened the wig and cut it to shoulder length. He then parted it down the middle, the way Shaw had worn her hair before. When he placed it on her head Shaw said it looked like her natural hair.  

“I feel like I look like myself,” Shaw said.