The Misadventures of Ada: ICD-10 Cartoon, "Let Down Your Hair" W49.01XA

Ada likes to curl up with a good book before bed, like many of us. Lately, she’s been reading a ton of nursery rhymes and folk tales. She loved the original Cinderella and Jack and the Bean Stalk. She’s been excited to dive into Rapunzel and was thrilled to finally get her hands on a copy from her local library. But not long after she read “Once Upon a Time,” something magical and terrifying happened. Ada found herself inside the story. 

Perched on a lonely tower overlooking the landscape, dear Ada found herself baffled and waiting for someone to rescue her and her incredible flowing locks from solitude. Where did this dress come from? And when did my hair get so long? She turned and scanned her tower home and was disappointed with the decorating. Where were the cozy throw blankets and her collection of bunny ceramics?

Then she heard a voice, “Rapunzel, let down your hair!” And it took her a moment to realize the man below was talking to her. She shrugged and began throwing her mile-long mane out of the window. Then something went terribly wrong, and her beautiful strands somehow got tangled around her neck like a noose. Her vision became fuzzy. “HELP! HELP!” The man yelled. Everything went black. Oh, Ada!

Luckily, Ada woke up with the town’s midwife standing over her, who had somehow managed to untangle her hair. “Fair lass, I’d highly recommend a haircut.” Prince Charming said. “I Concur, they hair is far too longeth," said the woman. Then Ada shot up on her couch in her modern-day house and looked around in a frenzy. Sigh. It was just a dream.