Blond locks with a purpose
Published: September 21, 2004
Boy’s growing hair for Locks of Love.
The golden blonde hair on 6-year-old Casey Donahue’s head might make it hard for some to tell whether he is a boy or girl.
But ask him why his hair is long and it will not be hard to find out where his heart is.
For the last 18 months, Casey, of Belleville, has been growing his hair so he could donate some of it to less fortunate children through the Locks of Love.
“It all started out as something funny,” said Lisa Donahue, Casey’s mother.
In 2002, Lisa Donahue wanted to donate some of her hair to the Locks of Love, but because her hair was treated she couldn’t.
“So, I said to Casey joking, ‘It’s up to you to grow your hair.’ And later he asked what I meant by that,” Donahue said.
The same day Donahue purchased a newspaper. On its front page was a young girl who was bald due to leukemia treatment.
“I explained that the girl was bald because the treatment makes her hair fall out,” Donahue said. “He said, ‘I certainly wouldn’t want to be bald,’ and I said to him, ‘She doesn’t wanted to be bald either.’”
At that moment, 4-year-old Casey decided that he wanted do something to help other children.
Casey is like most boys. He likes to do wheelies on bikes, run around in scuffed shoes and play in the grass, but his 12 inches of hair causes people to mistake him for a girl.
“I told him that people would mistake him for a girl, but he said, ‘I don’t care, I want to do it,” Donahue said.
Casey said that he was not teased at all by kids at school, but Donahue said that people would come up to him all the time and ask him whether he’s a boy or girl. Once Donahue tells them why he’s doing it, they instantly understand.
“I think it’s nice that he wants to help out other people who need hair,” said Derreck Donahue, Casey’s 11-year-old brother.
Donahue said Casey will cut his hair off later this month after Casey takes his school pictures. But that might be a problem since Casey might need it for Halloween.
“I’m going to be a wolf,” Casey said.
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