West Hants student donates to Angel Hair

By Christy Marsters

The Hants Journal/NovaNewsNow.com

Melanie Ross, 13, was about to start another school season at West Hants Middle School and wanted a fresh look for the first day back but instead she postponed getting a haircut.

“Mom suggested I wait a bit longer and donate my hair if I’d like to,” Ross said. “And I thought it was a really good idea… I decided to donate my hair to Angel Hair For Kids.”

Angel Hair For Kids, in conjunction with Headquarters Hair Solutions Clinic in Halifax, donates wigs to children affected by cancer or burns who can’t afford to purchase a wig.

Fighting through butterflies -- having never cut much of her hair off before -- Ross stepped into the River View Beauty Salon in Windsor and prepared to have 10 inches of her long, straight and vibrantly red hair removed from her head. “I was a little nervous,” she noted.

However, my hair will always be growing, Ross said. “It is nice for another little kid to be able to have hair again… and I like the feeling of knowing I’m helping someone else.”

With this selfless thought in mind, Ross went through with her commitment, got her hair cut short, and personally delivered it to the Headquarters Hair Solutions Clinic in Halifax.

“It was surprising at first to see my hair so short because I didn’t really ever have my hair cut that much before,” Ross added. “But, I like it now. It’s new and something different.”

Gayle Rippey, Melanie’s mother, said as she watched her daughter’s 10-inch ponytail get chopped off, wrapped into tissue paper and put into a plastic bag she was so proud of her.

“When we dropped off her hair we saw some wigs,” Rippey said. “It goes to show it doesn’t always have to be a money donation... there are other things you can do to help.”

Anyone interested in making a hair donation to Angel Hair For Kids can find out more information at www.hqhair.ca /angelhair.html. Those thinking about donating should note at least 10 inches of hair must be donated for a wig and the hair cannot be treated chemically. It takes approximately 10 to12 donations to make one wig for a child in need.