Dubai: Donating money, time and a voice for a charitable cause is something all of us should strive to do in these very troubled times. But, the euphoric feeling one gets from donating a treasured part of you is indescribable as I discovered on my 12th birthday, recently.
I was deeply affected by a talk we attended at Dubai College, when they spoke of cancer victims feeling vulnerable about their looks due to losing their hair. I could instantly relate to that.
My Rapunzel-like hip-length hair is my one concession to vanity. It is my pride and joy, and I hadn’t cut it in eight years. But, when I heard about how children were faced with the prospect of not only enduring a debilitating disease, but also losing their precious hair, I knew what I had to do.
I needed the moral support of my peers and teachers and with their help, a “hair donation” assembly was arranged. Gathering all my courage, I parted with my luscious locks cheered on by my peers. I was overwhelmed with all the positive compliments I received after the assembly, but more so by calls from interested adults and children who told me they were inspired by my move and wanted to donate their hair, too. In particular, I was moved by a woman that told me she had lost her mother to cancer saying that she was now considering donating her hair for the sake of cancer patients in memory of her mother.
It is lovely to have luscious, long locks, but even more lovely to donate locks of love! I would urge everyone to donate their hair to “Locks of Hope” campaign, which is organised by the Friends of Cancer Patients, to experience what it means to be beautiful.
It takes around seven or eight donations like mine to make one wig and I feel deeply about helping improve the lives of women battling this terrible disease. If you are interested in donating your hair, please email himakshi@donatehair.org, so together, we can make a difference.
— The reader is a pupil based in Dubai.
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