How do you keep a secret from someone who's involved with everything?
Seventeen students in the TBA School of Cosmetology managed to do just that as they planned a fund-raiser for David "Tim” Ghastin, who has aplastic anemia, no health insurance and a growing pile of medical bills. His mother, Nancy Ghastin, is their beloved instructor and the students were determined to do something to help.
For the past month, they have been organizing Cuts for a Cause, which featured haircuts, manicures, a silent auction and refreshments. Held Monday, on a day the school is normally closed, proceeds will help defray medical expenses, general expenses and travel expenses for Tim, who has been receiving treatment at the National Institutes of Health in Maryland.
"The girls did all this, they gathered around me at Career Day and handed me the flyer and I just started bawling,” recalled Nancy Ghastin. "It didn't surprise me that they would do something like this, but I'm the type of person who picks up on everything and I didn't even have a clue.”
Tim Ghastin, 24, and his buddy Jake Elsenheimer stopped by at noon to help grill hamburger and hot dogs, doing their part to help at Cuts for a Cause.
"It's an amazing thing, these girls are amazing,” said Tim, a 2000 graduate of Traverse City West Senior High School. "For however long my mom's been working here, we would come and hang out a little bit.”
Nancy Ghastin has been teaching at the TBA Cosmetology School's 11-month program for 17 years, the last six full time. Leading by example, her students appreciate her caring, guidance and high standards. They knew about Tim and his health problems and decided it was time they pitched in to help a teacher who helps them so much. They considered a spaghetti dinner but soon settled on Cuts for a Cause to involve everyone.
"We absolutely love Mrs. G and wanted to do something for her — a bouquet of flowers just doesn't cut it at some point,” said Beth Stull, as classmate Teresa King added: "She's just the kind of lady who always does everything for everyone else.”
With some help from other instructors, the students created and scheduled the event, solicited donations for the auction and organized T-shirts, food and publicity — all under Nancy Ghastin's nose.
"We had some close calls,” added Stull. "It was like, 'Oh, my gosh, she's coming, someone go and distract her.'”
Tim Ghastin was just 15 and a sophomore at West when he was diagnosed with the rare form of cancer, where the bone marrow kills the other cells quicker than the body can make them. A round of chemotherapy helped for a while, his mother said — not a cure but it helped his body hold ground against the disease.
A little over a year ago, the disease came back in full force and since September, Tim has been part of an experimental treatment program at the NIH. The family learned in April after a check up there that Tim's body was not responding to the protocol. Additional chemotherapy or a bone marrow transplant loom on the horizon. The family has not yet found a successful bone marrow donor as none of Tim's nine siblings match.
"There have to be six markers out of ten [to have a match], I'm a half match, I have five,” said Nancy Ghastin. "The last resort is the bone marrow transplant.”
Awed by her youngest child's strength and endurance in the face of ten years of illness, Nancy Ghastin said his mental posture is accepting, without bitterness at the direction his life has taken.
"He doesn't dwell on what he can't do,” she said.