Giving their locks for love
Published: March 19, 2006
The last time 9-year-old Emma Gonzalez had a trim was when she cut her own hair at the age of 3.
Her twin sister, Amanda, was a little less adventurous with the scissors and has never cut her hair. The twins’ cousin, 8-year-old Jissely Schambeck, has been growing her hair out for the last year and a half.
However, on Friday afternoon, all of the girls went in for a major cut.
After the girls heard about Locks of Love through their aunt and mother, Jungle Red Salon owner, Marisa Schambeck, they decided that they wanted to help out people in need by donating their hair.
Locks of Love is a non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children under the age of 18 who are suffering from long-term medical hair loss. They meet a unique need for children by using donated hair to create high quality hair prosthetics.
Most of the children helped by Locks of Love have lost their hair due to a medical condition called alopecia areata, which has no known cause or cure. The wigs they provide help to restore the kids’ self-esteem and their confidence, enabling them to face the world and their peers.
“I am giving my hair to the sick girl because she lost her hair and she got cancer. I hope she feels better about herself,” wrote Jissely in a letter describing her motivation for the donation.
“I am cutting my hair because I feel bad for the sick people and I know that my hair will grow back someday. I hope it will make them happy to have my hair,” wrote Emma in her letter.
Amanda explained, “I’m cutting my hair because I feel bad for those people who get sick and lose their hair. I think I’m doing something good because I’m helping someone that is very sick.”
All the girls were nervous about cutting off their hair which fell below their waists. Jissely’s hair was cut shorter than her cousins’ because she hadn’t gone as long without a cut. She was hesitant about the new look, but said that she was glad she did it because it helped other people.
“They need the hair more than us because they can’t grow their hair,” Amanda said.
Stylist Jordin Raya of Jungle Red gave all of the girls their gorgeous new hairdos free of charge. Owner Marisa, said that if anybody in the community is willing to donate their hair to Locks of Love, the haircut will be free.
The young girls were perfect candidates for the Locks of Love program because donated hair must be at least 10 inches long and free of bleach or any sort of chemical damage. Some dyed and permed hair is still usable — stylists are the best resources to find out if your hair is meets the requirements for donating.
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