Waxing for Cancer

Madeline Eastwood delivered what the crowd of family and friends had waited more than an hour for—her dad flinching and groaning in pain as she deftly tore a waxing strip from just the right spot on his chest.

Steve Eastwood willingly endured more than two dozen waxing strips, which removed most of his body hair on Saturday, to benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). The LLS provided support for his family when his wife, Christina, started cancer treatment in 2008.

The Eastwoods reached their goal of raising at least $5,300, which also qualified them to run in the San Diego Rock 'n' Roll Marathon on June 5 as members of the society’s Team in Training.

The couple challenged their family, friends and neighbors to donate to their cause, promising to reward donors of $100 or more with the chance to rip out Steve’s hair one strip at a time. More than two dozen supporters came to take their turns and watch the waxing at the couple’s Upperco home.

Steve, 37, looked relaxed and unfazed as people turned in their “I Waxed the Beast for Blood Cancer” tickets and stepped up to yank a waxing strip from his chest, back and legs.

“I bet he’s crying on the inside,” said Meredith Hopkins of Middle River, Steve’s sister. “He’s trying to stay all cool and calm.”

Three of his four kids even took turns. 

Brandon, 13, was the first of the kids to take on his dad. Gabriel, 7, passed on the opportunity. Even 5-year-old Olivia overcame her concern and smiled broadly as she pulled the sticky strip just a little too slowly from her dad’s belly. But it was 9-year-old Madeline who finally cracked her dad’s tough resolve, getting the first loud confirmation that this perhaps hurt more than he was letting on.

Steve’s mother, Joanne Eastwood, a cancer survivor herself, had the honor of the first pull.

“I thought he was out of his mind because I really thought this would hurt,” she said. “But he was really determined.”

The Eastwoods and their children made a party of the event, decorating the house in the Team in Training’s colors of purple and green, and serving refreshments and raffling prizes. They also made sure the waxing would be done safely, having friend and licensed esthetician Anita Taylor supervise the entire job.

The couple began raising money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society after Christina finished chemotherapy treatments. Christina, 35, was diagnosed in October 2008 with a blood cancer called diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. The stage-four cancer was in her pelvis, two vertebrae, both femurs and a small part of her skull. She is currently on a maintenance regimen, which will end May 27.

Christina first started thinking about running while undergoing chemotherapy. She had never been a runner before, but started reading about the sport and looked into what she could do. In May 2009, just eight weeks after her last treatment at Sinai Hospital in Baltimore, she ran in a 5K race that benefited the hospital’s infusion center. It was there that she saw information about Team in Training, which provides a comprehensive training program for fundraisers such as marathons, hikes, triathlons and cycling events for LLS.

LLS funds blood cancer research, provides information and offers financial support for patients and their families.

“When I finished chemo, I couldn’t walk to the car. Going up the ramp in the parking garage was really hard,” Christina said. “We just wanted to give back. I ran that 5K and I was on fire.”

She, Steve and three friends formed a team called the Trail Monkeys, and started training in May 2009 for a 13-mile hike in the Smoky Mountains in October of that year. They each raised $3,500.

Christina and Steve are the only Trail Monkeys planning to run the marathon in June, but they hope to continue to train for other events and are encouraging others to join their team.

The couple decided to use a gimmick like waxing to get people's attention because raising money, even for such a good cause, can be difficult in the current economy, they said. A friend, John Dolly, suggested waxing Steve, which would be a pretty intense job.

“I’m not opposed to pain,” Steve said. “When you sit in the infusion center, and these people look terrible, having something like this done is nothing compared to what they’re going through.”

An hour and a half after the waxing started, Steve got off the massage table, slightly more red and considerably less hairy, but still in good humor. He planned on taking one of the hairy strips to work and taping it to a co-worker’s office door at the behest of another co-worker who donated $100.

“My skin’s tender. I feel like a piece of meat,” Steve said. “But it was worth it. It was definitely worth it.”

To donate, visit the Eastwood’s Team in Training homepage or mail a check, made out to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, to Steve and Christina Eastwood, 15217 Old Hanover Road, Upperco, MD, 21155.