Hair Goes to Locks of Love in Preparation for Africa

Wednesday, July 10th, 2013

Before….

Wow! All of my hair in a ponytail!

Sara Hunt and I after she cut my hair off!

After!

In preparation for Africa I felt compelled to make a big change in my life.  I decided to chop off my hair.  I felt nervous and excited all at the same time.  I have had long hair for the last 5 years and I knew it would be quite a change.  I had so much hair that I was able to donate it to Locks of Love, an organization that makes wigs for children that have lost their hair to chemo and other illnesses.  What a wonderful day!  Now I will have less hair to take care of while I am in Africa.  While we will have showers where we are staying there is a chance of not having water on some of those days.  There were several days last year in Uganda that we didn’t have enough water to wash our hair or take showers.  Having short hair will be a lot easier to manage.  So this decision became a win/win for a child in need of a wig and for my hair not to become one big dread lock while traveling in Africa.  Yay!!!

CAUSES OF HAIR LOSS

Locks of Love is devoted to helping every child suffering from medical hair loss, thus we do not discriminate as to the cause of hair loss. We list the following information in an attempt to explain types of hair loss and specific needs of individual recipients.

Alopecia Our largest number of children live with alopecia. Alopecia is an auto-immune disorder that causes the hair follicles to shut down. This disease has varying degrees and affects 4.7 million people in the United States alone. Alopecia areata affects both sexes equally and may, but does not always, progress to significant hair loss. Currently, there is no known cause or cure for alopecia. The degrees of alopecia are as follows: Alopecia Areata Ophiasis-loss in bands along the scalp margins Alopecia Areata Sisaipho-loss of all scalp hair except along the scalp margins Alopecia Totalis-loss of all scalp hair Alopecia Universalis-loss of all scalp and body hair Cancer Cancer constitutes the second highest percentage of our recipients. Every year approximately 2,200 children under age 20 are diagnosed with brain tumors. Radiation treatment to the brain stem as a treatment for cancer can cause permanent hair loss. Chemotherapy may also cause hair loss to be long-term depending on the length of treatment needed. Other causes of hair loss account for a small percentage of our recipients. Ectodermal Dysplasia-A heritable disorder that affects the formation of the ectoderm. Extremely sparse hair can be a result of ectoderm abnormality. Loose Anagen Syndrome-An abnormality where hair is thin and normally does not grow beyond the nape of the neck. Trichotillomania-Compulsive and repetitive hair pulling. Telogen Effluvium-Diffuse but excessive shedding related to sudden stress. Trauma-burns, accidents, dog attacks, etc. For more info go to locksoflove.org