Feature Article
October 30, 2003
LAND O' LAKES NewsWeb HomeHair-Raising Story with a Happy EndingNorthbrook At the age of 12, getting a haircut should pretty much be a ho-hum affair, but thats not the way that Bethany Lessard looks at it.
The youngster from Flinton visited Clever Cuts Mens and Womens Hairstyling shop here last Wednesday afternoon, and had almost 16 inches of her dark tresses carefully removed by stylist Trudy Houghton. Bethany wants to donate her trimmed locks to an organization that provides hairpieces to other young people who have lost their hair, and the idea for her gifting came from a conversation with Clever Cuts proprietor Karen Elliott. In the last while, Karen has collected three similar offerings, and she encourages others to consider donating their hair in length.
The gathered hair, which must be at least 10 long, will be sent to a non-profit organization that provides quality hair prostheses for children under 18 who have developed long-term medical hair loss. The hairpieces are mostly given free of charge, or on a sliding scale of payment, to children whose parents or guardians can prove financial hardship. One such agency is Locks Of Love, headquartered in Lake Worth, Florida, and its website can be accessed at http://www.locksoflove.org.
While firms like Locks of Love offer to protect the identity of donors, Bethany is making her hair donation no secret by challenging other young people to give likewise. I heard Karen talking about it, Bethany told me, and I thought it would be a good thing to do.
The daughter of Marty and Edna Lessard, Bethany is a Grade 7 student at NAEC. She is athletically inclined, taking part in school sports as well as playing hockey in winter and golf in summer.
Youngsters can suffer complete hair loss for a number of reasons, with the primary causes being the result of chemotherapy or an illness known as alopecia areata, for which there is no known cause or cure. Being fitted with a hairpiece can restore self-esteem and confidence, particularly when these young people are amongst their peers. In researching for this article, I found that while the Canadian Cancer Society is not involved in the collection of hair or production of wigs and hairpieces, it does get many enquiries from people who want to donate their hair as a way to support those living with cancer. The Society does provide information on several Canadian organizations that accept hair donations, and these can be found at http://www.cancer.ca, or by calling the Society at 1-888-939-3333.
As a related point of interest, the folks at Clever Cuts have been long-time supporters of local head-shaving initiatives to raise money for Kids With Cancer, so Karen and her staff are commended for showing that they care. As for Bethany and the others who have given up their locks for this cause, on behalf of some youngster out there who is waiting for a hairpiece, saying thanks seems like such a small price to pay!
This
is the "after" shot, showing Britany with hair stylist
Trudy Houghton.
