Girls engage in sharing by shearing
Published: November 21, 2006
“Rapunzel! Rapunzel! Cut your long hair,” is how this modern day tale begins - with a twist.
There is no castle, no knight in shining armor - but there are two little girls with princess-like hair and even bigger hearts of gold.
Cearra McDowell and Madison Burtts live in different parts of Davis County and experience very different lives. But they share similar stories: Both girls decided to give up their long locks this year, so another boy or girl could enjoy what many take for granted: hair.
“It was going to be down to my knee caps,” Cearra replied in explaining her decision to trim her spreading locks. The other part of that decision involved a younger family friend who was diagnosed with cancer.
The decision wasn’t taken lightly. Until she found out about her friend, no one could persuade Cearra to cut her hair.
Then, she reasoned: “Helping somebody else was more important than how much I liked it.”
When it came time to cut the 14-inch elastic-bound strands, Measha McDowell, Cearra’s older sister, wielded the scissors.
“Mom was trying not to cry,” Cearra said.
There are advantages to cutting hair. A lot of hair consumes large quantities of styling products. Its bulk presented a problem when she slept, and, if she wasn’t careful, sitting on it was a constant bother. Another advantage: After chopping off the locks, her head weighed considerably less.
“I can pull it back without my mom helping,” Cearra said.
She said she will grow it long again, but this time with another motive: She wants to help more children.
Madison Burtts was on a similar mission. She wanted to donate her tresses after a close friend of her family was resigned to wearing hats. Then, another playmate also was diagnosed with cancer.
She wanted to give her hair “so a boy or girl who gets it will be happy.”
Madison’s volume of tresses also caused her problems.”Whenever I would get something, it would catch on my knee,” she said.
At times it could even be a battle to keep from tangling. But Cindy Burtts, Madison’s mom, realized this was a perfect way for Madison to see that even a little act of kindness can mean so much to another person.
“It’s a pain to brush her hair and maintain but it’s far less than the pain a child that has cancer goes through,” Cindy Burtts said.
Mom downloaded a form for “Locks of Love” from the Internet. A stylist cut Madison’s hair according to instructions on the form. Then they sent the 17-inch long elastic-bound locks by priority mail. Madison’s whole look changed after her hair cut.
“The music teacher didn’t recognize me,” Madison said.
Her mom said she learned about giving through her mother who often volunteered in an orphanage and would invite a child to stay with the family on the weekends.
“It’s good for children to realize the plight of other children,” Cindy Burtts said, “and even though they are young, they can help.”Davis County resident Cearra McDowell proudly holds up her strands of hair that she will donate to help those in need.
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