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One who smiles all the time By JOHN CARLSON MUNCIE -- First you notice her smile. It's a broad one, set under twinkling eyes, a smile so genuine it diverts your attention from the motorized wheelchair that Robin Thomas just rode into the room. She would seem much more likely to harbor anger at the physical trauma that has plagued her since birth, when she was diagnosed with spina bifida. At age 25, she has undergone 44 operations.
The local, grant-supported craft shop is a place where people facing various degrees of disability can help produce an assortment of attractive gift items that are offered for sale, at the same time finding purpose in work while enhancing their self-esteem. Gripping the crank handle of a die-cutter, Robin turned it, sending plates bearing blue construction paper through rollers, from which butterflies for greeting cards emerged. However, what Robin produces with her hands wasn't what brought her some well-deserved attention last week. It was what she produced with her head. "This is it," said Jean Thomas, Robin's mother, pulling a length of curly brown hair from a plastic bag. "There's just about 24 inches here." The hair was Robin's but soon to belong to Locks of Love, the organization which turns such donations into wigs for youthful cancer victims, kids who lose theirs to the ravages of chemotherapy. "When it was combed out it almost touched the wheels," Jean said, nodding toward the gray tires of her daughter's wheelchair. She added that Robin had pondered making the donation before, but changed her mind when it was time to visit the hairdresser. "This time," Jean said, "she didn't." Robin is hoping that when her hair becomes a child's wig, she might learn who receives it. It's such contact with others, and the boost in spirits she receives from it, that keeps the smile on her face and the sparkle in her eyes. In July of 2001, while battling back from the effects of her stroke, she got just such a boost from country music superstar Tim McGraw, who she met through the efforts of a wish-granting organization. Today his pictures -- including one of them together at Verizon Wireless Music Center -- fill the lap tray of her wheelchair. "You have no idea what that one little meeting did," Jean said, remarking on its effect on her daughter's spirits. "That picture goes everywhere with her, even to surgery." Another important person in her life is her 21-year-old sister, Cathy, who is also wheelchair bound. "What kind of sister is Robin?" she was asked. "What day are we talking about?" answered the quick-witted sibling. "She loves Uno. We can sit on the porch and play Uno forever, until she falls asleep. And her favorite movie is Mrs. Doubtfire." If all the attention and such revelations made Robin nervous, though, she didn't show it. Her hair was cut, her interview was almost over and all that was left was to await the day her story would appear. "Can you wait until Monday?" someone asked. "I don't think so," she answered happily, the words slurred but decipherable. Then, as a final gesture, she handed a visitor a thank-you note. It was written on a card featuring a cut-out child whose wig is removable, the better to understand what the donation of hair means, how it works. "It's a Courageous Kid card," someone explained, but Robin seemed to know all about that. John Carlson profiles good neighbors, community activists and other Difference-Makers weekly in The Star Press. To suggest a subject for a Difference-Makers article, contact John at jcarlson@muncie.gannett.com or 213-5824. Copyright (c) The Star Press. All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of Gannett Co., Inc. by NewsBank, inc. The Star Press Home l About l Contact l Board l Sponsorship l Service Learning l Workshops l Calendar & News l Media Gallery l FAQ l Directions Beyond
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In June of 2000, she suffered a devastating stroke. Still, that smile seldom wavers. "She has the best attitude," said her nurse, Sheila McDonald, whose 6-year-old son knows Robin by reputation. "He says, 'Is she the one who smiles all the time?' I've worked with her for a year, and I don't think I've ever seen her in a bad mood." This day, the Southside High School graduate was among friends and volunteers in the bustling work room at Beyond I Can. 
