The Little Princess Trust
In October my sister cut 11 inches off her hair to donate to the Little Princess Trust. For those who don't know, this is a charity that makes wigs for young boys and girls who are battling cancer, and have lost their hair from chemotherapy. I have always had long hair, and so I decided to do the same. It's been on my bucket list for years, and today I finally did it.
I thought about this since the summer, but ran out of time to cut my hair then and so decided I would wait until now so it could grow even longer. I know several others who have donated their hair, and I know what an incredible gift it would be.
To do this, the hair I was donating was tied into a plait and then cut off while dry. Then to even the rest out, it was washed and cut like any other hair cut. As soon as the plait was gone, it felt instantly lighter. It will take a lot of time for me to get used to it, but I'm pleased with my decision.
Since everything in my life is somewhat rhino-related, I saw some parallels between donating my hair to the Little Princess Trust, and legalising rhino horn trade. As we know, hair and rhino horn are basically the same material: keratin. Cutting my hair is less daunting for me, as I know it will grow back, and I've always been lucky with the speed in which my hair grows. Rhino horn also grows back, and a lot faster than you think! Breeders who de-horn have to do this roughly every 2 years due to the rate of growth of the horn (obviously it does not grow to full size every 2 years, but enough to be too risky for poachers)! However, the big difference is rhino horn is used in medicine for cancer patients, when it does not possess any medicinal value and so does not help them. Hopefully my hair will actually help a brave young person facing this horrible illness, in the only way hair can. I hope it brings them confidence and improves their day, even a little bit - they deserve it!
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| Before and After! |
When I see my plait, I can't help but think how many rhinos die a year for the same thing; and how many people are diagnosed with cancer every year. It's heartbreaking to think of, and yet it happens every day.
The Little Princess Trust is a wonderful charity. If there's anyone out there considering donating their hair, I think it's a great idea (and it's not as scary as you think...) This is something very close to my heart, and I hope from the bottom of my heart, whoever ends up with my hair, will continue their heroic fight, and will soon have their own back!
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