Little girl cuts hair in honor of grandpa who is losing his to cancer
Published: March 17, 2006
Ronald Foss, 65, weakened by chemotherapy in his battle with squamous cell carcinoma, turns buoyant when he learns about his granddaughter’s mission.
Madison Foss, 4, wants to donate her waist-length hair to Locks of Love - the non-profit that provides hair to kids who have lost theirs to cancer treatment - when she comes to town to visit “Grandpa Ronnie.”
“I think it’s a great idea,” says Foss, bubbling with pride in his only granddaughter. The Hendersonville liquor store sales clerk, “retired” to save his strength for the mortal tussle with “cancer in the throat and the mouth,” already was looking forward to the upcoming visit by his son, Kendall, daughter-in-law, Laura, and, especially his only granddaughter.
When he found out about the pre-schooler’s mission, he had reason to gloat.
The little girl’s mom, Laura Foss, a teacher reached during her lunch break at Sacred Heart Elementary in Plainville, Kansas, says “Madison had talked about getting a haircut, because she has extremely long hair. We had told her Grandpa Ronnie has a really bad sickness and has to take medicine and was losing his hair.
“She had heard about kids giving their hair to kids who had cancer and she wanted to give half of it to him and half of it to some little kids who don’t have theirs.”
Locks of Love donations only go to children, but she can do it in honor of Grandpa Ronnie, according to Locks of Love executive director Jim Murphy, from the non-profit’s Florida headquarters. “We’ll even mention that in the thank-you letter we write.”
Her mom says Madison’s plans are “to get it clipped to her neck” while Grandpa Ronnie watches. He’s upbeat about his prognosis, saying the doctors are “as positive as I am.” His granddaughter’s plans give him an extra boost.
Madison’s plans fit Locks of Love’s goal “to return a sense of normalcy back to kids,” says Murphy. “So many of the kids we help have almost become, I don’t like to use the word ‘hermits,’ but it’ s very difficult for them to participate in the things they want to, like sports and swimming. They become embarrassed about the hair loss. “Donated hair is used to make prosthetic devices, custom-fitted to the heads of the kids” so other children can’t pull it off.
Most salons will cut the hair for donors. But this little girl wants to have it cut while Grandpa Ronnie watches, and Holly Lane, assistant manager at Fantastic Sam’s, 386 West Main St., in Hendersonville says “we’ll cut off the pony tail and give the hair a shape” for free.
It’ll be the best haircut of Grandpa Ronnie’s life.
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