Hi Everyone!
I wanted to check in and let everyone I'm still alive! It's been a busy couple of weeks. I have a new project to post soon that is just the cutest heart wreath. I'm getting photographs together right now.
I wanted to share something that is close to my heart and on my mind. I have pretty long hair. I love my hair more than a person probably should. However, it's gotten to the point where it's so long I can't do anything with it (it's too heavy and thick to wear down and it won't curl now), so it's time for a cut. I was initially thinking just a trim...then I started thinking....
Are you thinking of cutting your hair? Well, join me in donating my hair to Beautiful Lengths!
I'm sure you've heard of people donating their hair. They probably donated to Locks of Love. That's just fine, but I didn't know this until recently, but wigs from Locks of Love aren't available for cancer patients. Also, they are so overwhelmed by donations that some donations end up in the trash. Now, I'm not saying that organization isn't worthy of donations; however, I have personal reasons for wanting my donation to go to cancer patients. My brother's girlfriend is a survivor, and she had issues find a wig when she was having treatment. My grandmother passed away from lung cancer and lost her hair during treatment. My grandmother said losing her hair was the single worse side effect of her treatment. She was never seen without her head covered because of this insecurity. More recently, my grandfather passed away after a long battle with cancer.
The American Cancer Society recommends two organizations Wigs for Kids and Pantene Beautiful Lengths. Wigs for Kids requires a 12 inch donation, and Beautiful Lengths only requires an 8 inch donation. I don't have 12 inches to spare, so the decision was easy. Hair can't be colored with permanent hair dye and must be free of chemical treatments. I used a semi-permanent on my hair a few years ago, but I haven't used a permanent hair dye.
From the Beautiful Lengths website:
"Nearly 774,370 American women will be diagnosed with cancer in 2012 and one in three women will develop some form of cancer in her lifetime. These statistics make it abundantly clear that cancer will affect each one of us in some way. Hair loss, one of the most common side effects of cancer treatment, can be especially traumatic for women fighting cancer. "
Donating is pretty easy. You just put your dry product-free hair in a ponytail (also put another elastic at the bottom and one in the middle), measure the 8 inches (or more if you want to donate more!) from the elastic and cut above the elastic. You put the hair in a zip lock bag and send off in a padded envelope to:
Pantene Beautiful Lengths
Attn: 192-123 20770
Westwood Dr
Strongsville, OH 44149
To this day, Beautiful Lengths has donated over 18,000 real hair wigs to the American Cancer Society's Wig Banks.
(If you think you may be eligible for a wig, contact the American Cancer Society’s Wig Bank Line at 1-877-227-1596.)
It takes at least eight ponytails to create a wig. Will 7 other people pledge to donate this month so we can make our own wig for a cancer patient that would not able to afford one otherwise?
Me, My Mom and My Grandmother, Myrtle. She had just started treatment not too long before my wedding.
My grandfather, George with my daughter Lila.
