Cancer masks become art at fundraiser

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Debra Sheridan never dreamed the protective head masks she had to wear for radiation treatments would become works of art.

A survivor of oral cancer, she donned one every time the beams were aimed at the lump on her tonsil — a tumor so large that it had progressed to stage 4. Surgery was not an option, so she had to undergo chemoradiation eradication. That required a specially molded mask to fit her face to safeguard healthy tissue.

“At a certain point, there was a lot of dread,” she said. “I was very, very sick. I was unable to talk. I had lost my voice. I had lost my ability to eat. It got to the point where 20 minutes in the treatment room was almost more than I could do.”

That was seven years ago. Sheridan threw away her mask, but if she still had it she would donate it for “A Night of Courage Unmasked” on Saturday at the special event and arts venue OZ.

About 70 masks will be auctioned at this first-time event for Nashville. Songwriter and hit-maker Pam Tillis, a CMA Female Vocalist of the Year, will serve as honorary host and speaker. Mike Wolfe, co-star of the History Channel’s “American Pickers,” and Paul Polycarpou, editor of Nashville Arts Magazine, will be auctioneers.

Volunteer artists have transformed the masks into new creations.

Money raised helps Courage Unmasked Tennessee, an organization founded by head and neck cancer survivors to help raise money for other patients in financial need. The organization also works to raise awareness so these cancers can be diagnosed earlier.

Nearly 80,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with head and neck cancer every year, according to the National Cancer Institute. Sheridan didn’t realize anything was wrong until she had difficulty swallowing a hamburger.

“That’s part of the problem with head and neck cancer is its diagnosis,” she said. “Dentists do find it, but sometimes not until it is quite advanced.”

The masks are made of a plastic mesh sheet that is heated, then pulled tightly over the patient’s face to create a protective barrier that molds to facial contours.

“In addition to physical side effects, patients may be profoundly affected emotionally and psychologically,” said Dr. Barbara Murphy, director of head and neck oncology at Vanderbilt-Ingram. “Thus the mask becomes highly symbolic for patients.”