Community Voices for Health

By: Rachel Ventura

I’ve always admired people who donate their hair for charity. I even attempted to do it once. I grew my hair out for a long time, which is a painful experience, especially for someone with fine, thin hair like me. But it was something I really wanted to do. After about a year of growing my hair, I went to check out the website again to see how much further I had to grow, and realized, they do not accept hair that has been highlighted. During the year I was growing my hair, I didn’t highlight it at all, but there was still some bleach left in there from before. I gave up. I really hate to admit it, but I did. I chopped it all off and wasn’t able to donate any of it. But at least I tried, I guess.

As a cancer survivor, I can’t even begin to explain how grateful I am that I did not need to go through any treatment. My cancer was completely removed by surgery. I didn’t have to go through radiation or chemo, or lose my hair. As a woman, our hair is something that is very precious to us. It must be such a terrible experience to lose it, even for those who are crazy strong (what cancer patient isn’t?!) and have a positive outlook about losing their hair.

About a week ago, my daughter began saying she wanted to get a haircut. Her hair is very long, and she loves it. She says she wants it to be as long as Rapunzel’s hair. So when she said she wanted a haircut, I figured I would give her a little trim one night when we had a chance, no big deal.

A few days after her initial haircut statement, the 4 of us were sitting around the living room on a Saturday afternoon when my husband began commenting about how long his hair was getting. He jokingly said it was almost long enough to donate. Right away, my daughter jumped up and said, “I want to donate my hair!” I explained that it would mean cutting her hair very short and she said, “I want it short! I want to donate my hair, to help sick people.” My heart, which is already exploding from the love I have for my kids, almost burst. Never had I felt so much pride and happiness and love.

So, that night, I took my 4 year old to get her hair cut. They cut off 9 inches of beautiful, blond hair, that will make someone who is very sick, very happy. She had a huge smile on her face throughout the entire cut, and so did I. I couldn’t stop telling her how proud I was and how what she was doing was such a good thing. I wanted to make sure she really understood what she was doing, and how big it was.

To top it off, she looks adorable with her little bob! She looks older actually, which I’m not sure I like very much. She drew a picture of her getting her hair cut and someone who was sick getting their wig, and she added it to the envelope with her hair. I hope it makes someone at Pantene smile as much as it makes me. I know whoever gets my baby’s hair in their wig will be smiling, and that’s what it’s all about.

Have you ever donated your hair or received a wig from a hair donation organization? Please tell us about your experience! I would LOVE to hear your story! And if you would like to donate your hair, visit Locks of Love and Pantene Beautiful Lengths for more information.