Seattle Press on Line - The Gift of Hair

The Gift of Hair

Rebecca Miller with her long hair.

May 17, 2001 -- On a winter night in 1998, fifth grader Rebecca Miller started working on a gift for a friend she'll probably never meet. That night she committed to growing her hair as long as possible, all the way to her waist. Three years later, Rebecca chopped off a luxuriant ponytail and mailed it to Locks of Love, a non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to needy children with medical hair loss.

Rebecca is now 13, an eighth grader at St. Benedict School in Wallingford, where students are encouraged to become involved in social service projects. She remembers being moved when she first learned about Locks of Love, through a TV news magazine.

Rebecca Miller after her haircut.

She recalls, "This little girl [on TV] had started to lose her hair when she was about 8 years old, and lost it completely by the time she was 9. It got to be very embarrassing having to go to school with almost no hair ... some people mistook her for a boy and others made fun of her. She had to get a special note to wear hats in school because there was a rule saying, 'No hats worn in the classroom.'" A natural-looking wig can cost $1,000 for a child, while the families are often already saddled with medical bills.

That's where Locks of Love comes in. The organization creates custom "vacuum-fitted" human hair wigs that are exceptionally durable and natural-looking, and won't fall off an active child or like a costume wig can. Upon receiving her wig, the no-longer-bald little girl "became so happy and started thanking and hugging the lady saying how grateful she was. And then her mother started to cry seeing how happy her daughter was," Rebecca remembers.

About Locks of Love

Established in 1997, Locks of Love is a non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children with medical hair loss, and has helped approximately 200 children since its inception. Donations continue to pour in. Thousands of bundles of donated hair continue to arrive from around the country as a result of national publicity. Children comprise over 80 percent of the donors, and most mail a note and photo with the hair.

Donated hair is accepted according to the following guidelines:
--The donated hair must be at least 10" (preferably 12") in length, bundled in a ponytail or braid.
--The hair must be free of hair damaged by chemical processing.
--The hair must be clean and dry, placed in a plastic bag, and mailed in a padded envelope to:
Locks of Love
1640 S Congress Ave., Suite 104
Palm Springs, FL 33641
For info call (561) 963-1677

While watching the story about Locks of Love, Rebecca was hit by a realization: "To make someone that happy must be a wonderful thing, and you would not even have to do anything but grow your hair out until it was long enough, and then cut it and send it away and boom! Smile."

In December, 2000 the day finally came: Rebecca told her favorite hairstylist to chop off her lush, waist-length auburn locks. She recalls, "I told her I wanted to leave the shop with some hair left," and decided to clip it above the shoulder "despite comments from the peanut gallery (my dad) who thought I should go bald."

Rebecca was just fine with her new look, and, as her dad reminded her, she had made someone who was fighting for their life feel good about themselves. "It occurred to me that it all boiled down to one thing: hair," says Rebecca. "It's all so strange how such a simple thing that most of us take for granted could affect our life in such a huge way. How its absence could make you sad and its presence make you feel happy and proud and even, I suppose, pretty. The loss of my hair would not affect me in the way that the children were affected when they lost their hair - because my hair grows, and theirs does not."

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Shelly	Jan 21, 2003	NY	Business Owner, College Studen
I am a mother of a healthy 11yr old daughter who is looking to donate my 15"s of hair to some little girl through locks of love, or any other organization of the child's choice. My only request is that I can have the pleasure of receiving a photograph of the child for myself and my daughter to share. If anyone is interested, or knows of anyone who may be interested, please contact me via email. I just want to be able to share my hair with someone who will get as much joy out of it as I have! (-: