University of Iowa police shave their heads in support of coworker’s mother battling cancer

IOWA CITY — When University of Iowa police officer Jackie Anderson shaved her head earlier this month to support her mother as she battles lung cancer, she didn't expect anyone else to join her.

'It's just hair to me,' said Anderson, a K9 officer. 'It's not that big of a deal. But, for some people, it's a big deal.'

So when Anderson walked into work last week and glimpsed the shorn heads of the fellow officers on her shift, she was surprised to say the least.

'I was shocked,' Anderson said.

Anderson said has always been close with her mother, Cindy Garwood, of Vinton. Last month, Garwood was diagnosed with small cell lung cancer. When one of the tumors cut off blood flow through her superior vena cava, Garwood started chemotherapy to reduce the size of the tumor.

This is Garwood's second bout with cancer. Nine years ago, she battled breast cancer and lost her hair at the time to chemotherapy. Anderson remembers her mother getting stares.

'We'd be at the mall and people would look,' Anderson said. 'She didn't like that.'

This time around, Anderson shaved her head, too.

'Strength in numbers,' she said.

After shaving her head in early December, Anderson said she got questions about it at work and support from her coworkers who also sent her mother a bouquet when she was in the hospital. Then, last week, she went to work and saw the shaved head of her coworker, Matthew Jennings.

'He smiled and said, 'Yeah, I did this for you and your mom,'' Anderson said.

Other officers on other shifts and other departments have pledged to also shave their heads. Anderson said her mother got mad at her when she was only three years old when she convinced her dad to shave her head. This time around, she's been a little more understanding.

'She was touched,' Anderson said.

Anderson snapped a photo with her follow officers. The UI Police Department posted the photo to their webpage. It has since received more than 1,000 likes and has been shared more than 100 times.

'It's ridiculous,' Anderson said of all the attention the photo has received. 'It took on a life of its own.'

While this show of solidarity might be more visible to the general public, Anderson said looking out for others is something her coworkers do regularly.

'This isn't abnormal for these guys to do this,' she said. 'This is not out of the realm of normal for those guys.'