Giving Their Locks for Children
Ben Taub Hospital staff donate tresses to charity


 

Sporting new hairstyles and satisfying smiles in knowing their donations will help young children are (L-R) Haley Evans, Bethany Myers and Mai Lacombe.

Bethany Myers considered donating her hair to Locks of Love for long time. As a Social Worker in Ben Taub General Hospital’s Pediatric Clinic, and with a husband who works with young cancer patients, she felt compelled to help children in need.

Locks of Love is a nonprofit organization providing wigs and hairpieces to needy children who have lost their hair. Some have cancer, but many suffer from alopecia areata, an autoimmune disorder that kills hair follicles.

The wigs use human hair donated by men, women and children of all ages and ethnicities. Many families can’t afford human-hair prosthetics, which range from $3,000 to $6,000.

When the time came for Myers to cut most of her long hair, she asked two friends with long tresses to join her. Mai Lacombe, Social Worker, and Haley Evans, LVN, also work with Ben Taub’s pediatric patients.

They too had considered donating their hair to others. So when Myers asked, they agreed.

“I knew for a long time I was going to do this,” Myers said. “But I thought it would be nice to have the moral support of friends who would do it with me.”

Now the three women want to raise awareness for donations and inspire others to participate. Locks of Love provides more than 1,000 hairpieces each year. The organization’s goal is to one day help every child suffering from long-term hair loss. The organization receives more than 2,000 donations each week, but only 20 percent of their contributions come from adults. The majority of its donors are children who want to help other children in need.

Word about the trio’s plans got around the hospital. For months, people they didn’t know spoke of their efforts.

“We didn’t do this to get attention for ourselves, but it feels good to know we got people talking about the organization and how it helps kids who are sick,” Evans said. “Most people don’t think of hair when they think of children’s illnesses.”

Evans also thought it would be a good opportunity to teach her two young daughters about helping others. At first, they didn’t want their mother to cut her locks, especially the younger one who fell asleep caressing Evans’ hair. After an explanation, her oldest daughter understood. The youngest, a toddler, is too young to comprehend.

Inspiration to Give

Affirmation that they were doing the right thing came after meeting a little girl in the clinic. They met a concerned mother who brought her daughter suffering from unexplained hair loss to the doctor. The child had already lost most of it.

“When we saw the little girl who was losing her hair, we just knew we were doing the right thing,” Myers said.

Myers, Lacombe and Evans even shared the cutting experience. The three sat side-by-side in the salon. Together, they donated more than 36 inches of hair.

Hair donated to Locks of Love must be at least 10 inches long.

“Hair is such a big part of our identity, including children,” Lacombe said. “This will help build a child’s self-esteem. And helping children is what we are passionate about.”

The group says it will take some time to get used to their new looks, but there are no regrets.

“It’s a drastic change for us, but it is for a very good cause,” Evans said. “We just couldn’t refuse to do this.”

For more information about donating, visit Locks of Love at www.locksoflove.org.