Sisters, nieces donate to ‘Locks of Love’
Published: September 14, 2006
Several sisters and their daughters gathered at Jamie’s Family Hair Center in Leroy Friday to donate their long hair to the “Locks of Love” program in honor of one of the sisters, who recently underwent cancer surgery.
Catherine Nelson of Wagarville is recovering from breast cancer and just began taking chemotherapy treatments, following surgery to remove the tumor. She, her two sisters and two of her nieces all gathered at Jamie’s to have their long strands of hair cut off and donated to the charity, which provides wigs for young cancer patients.
“We wanted to do something to show how much we recognize how lucky I am that my tumor was found early enough and to do something to help children who have lost their hair due to cancer treatments,” said Nelson.
“We knew it wouldn’t be long before Cathy lost her hair, so we decided to do this before that began to happen,” said Jayne Pylant, Nelson’s younger sister.
Nelson’s lump was discovered during her yearly mammogram, which serves as a testament to having regular checkups annually. “It was caught early enough and removed and now I have to take chemotherapy as a precaution,” she said.
The other family members donating their locks, Friday, were Nelson’sr sister Elizabeth Whatley and her daughter Barbie Whatley, both of Gosport, and Pylant’s daughter Spring White. All expressed their joy in donating hair on her behalf.
Nelson said she has been given a good prognosis by her doctors, but beating cancer is not the only thing that makes her a hero to her family. She also served in Iraq for over a year with the Alabama National Guard’s 711th Signal Battalion based in Grove Hill and was supposed to return to the Middle East, Aug. 12, as a member of Mobile’s 226th Area Support group. “They (the 226th) left that day to got to Camp Shelby in Mississippi for mobilization,” she added.
Nelson’s regular job is not far from her service to her country. She works as the tool and parts attendant in the maintenance shop at the National Guard Armory in Jackson. “I guess my going back to Iraq wasn’t meant to be at this time,” she said.
But, her family members were not upset about her not getting to go. Friday, there were plenty of hugs, along with lots of reminiscing and laughing among the women. “We’re just happy she’s here with us,” said her sister, Elizabeth. “That’s what really matters.”
According to the “Locks of Love” Web site, Locks of Love is a non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children under age 18 suffering from long-term medical hair loss. The organization meets a unique need for children by using donated hair to create the highest 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 prostheses the organization provides helps to restore their self-esteem and their confidence, enabling them to face the world and their peers.
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