Sharing his hair
Published: November 7, 2006
Rye Junior High School student Bobby Mussig endured a lot of teasing over the past two years in the name of charity.
Mussig, 12, grew his hair long so it could be donated to Locks of Love, a nonprofit organization that uses human hair to make wigs for children suffering from long-term medical hair loss. [How to Beat Hair Loss: The Complete Guide to Surgical, Medical, and Alternative Treatments for Hair Loss]
“I wanted to help other people who didn’t have hair or couldn’t grow it because they had cancer,” said Mussig, who was inspired by his friend Devin Husslage, who grew his hair out last summer.
Locks of Love requires donated hair to be at least 10 inches long, which meant Mussig walked into Salon Bellissima on Islington Street last week with wavy blond hair hanging past his shoulders.
In a matter of minutes, Lauraine Touati chopped off his mane and gave Mussig a short, spiky cut, transforming his style into that of your average 12-year-old boy.
Mussig, who plays basketball and baseball, received a lot of teasing from “classmates, teammates and even a few family members” as his hair grew long, said his mother, Cathy.
“Even people who knew why Bobby was growing his hair could be cruel,” his mom said in an e-mail.
The sixth-grader said the comments didn’t get to him. What was more annoying, he said, was trying to play Little League with long hair. [Little League Confidential: One Coach’s Completely Unauthorized Tale of Survival]
“I was really hot — I drank like six Gatorades a game,” he said.
Despite the teasing and the sweaty summer days, Mussig said he plans to donate again to Locks of Love.
“I’m going to grow it out next year, and maybe the year after that,” he said. “I’m not going to let anyone stop me from being a good person.”
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