Teen gives the gift of hair
Published: December 28, 2005
When Linda Wielinga received a phone call out of the blue from a young woman wishing to donate her hair to cancer patients, she was speechless.
In the surprising phone call, 17-year-old Laura Appleton told Ms. Wielinga she was doing it to recognize her son who is continuing his fight against the dreaded disease.
“I didn’t know who she was, she just called me and I didn’t know what to say,” says Ms. Wielinga, a Scugog Island resident. “She just called to tell me that she had heard about what David was going through and she wanted to do something in his honour. She really impressed me because she was brave enough to confront someone she didn’t know and to donate her hair on behalf of David.”
Last Wednesday afternoon, Laura made good on her pledge when she had close to 10-inches of her long, brown hair cut off at Hair N Style, at the corner of Water and Queen streets. The hair is being shipped to ‘Hair For Kids’, a program that creates wigs for young girls undergoing cancer treatments.
Watching closely in the mirror as stylist Tracy Simmons sheared her mane down to just below her shoulders, Laura’s mouth grew wider and wider with excitement — and bewilderment.
“David really inspired me, he’s the reason why I want to do this,” says Laura, a Grade 12 student at Port Perry High School.
She explains she thought of making a donation to the ‘Hair For Kids’ program last year when she first began attending the Hope Christian Reformed Church where she met seven-year-old David.
“I love kids, for one, and I feel sorry for those who are going through (the battle against cancer),” she explains, noting relatives of hers have also fought the disease.
“David’s really adorable and (my friends and family) are all for it, they think it’s a really good idea and so do I,” says Laura. “My pastor says Jesus works through me and that I’m doing something good. I want to make a change in someone’s life before Christmas.”
While Laura’s hair won’t be of any benefit to David — he really likes the bald look, his mom says — the thought is what counts, says Ms. Wielinga.
“I’m really impressed with Laura who, as a teenager, is thinking about what these kids are going through,” says Ms. Wielinga. “For those young girls (going through cancer treatments), having their own hair — even if it’s a wig — makes such a difference. It helps them feel beautiful again. They can put bows in their hair and feel like princesses again.”
David, a Grade 2 student at the Scugog Christian School, has a cancerous tumour in his sinuses and has been in a fight for his life for the past two-and-a-half years. He battled the disease into remission twice, but is currently undergoing his third round with cancer.
“His spirits are good, he’s an amazing kid and he keeps bouncing back from everything. He’s incredible,” says Ms. Wielinga.
For his part, David, a man of few words, supports Laura’s actions.
“Yeah, it’s good because other girls will get wigs. That’s good.”
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