Thanks beautiful people for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Throughout life, we all come across many situations to test us which enable us to become the people we are. Unfortunately, a lot of the challenges which occur are not always that positive and are almost always a complete surprise, which force us to act spontaneously and without any preparation. This may either involve ourselves or the people we love and there may not always be a solution to the problem that arises.

As you're probably all aware, a few years ago my brave Daddyo was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour (one of the surprises in my life that has not been a positive one.) He battled it everyday since, courageously exploring all the available avenues to enable him to hold on to life for as long as possible, but sadly he unexpectedly lost his fight a year ago. He was 48. During his treatment, he underwent several invasive operations and radio therapy, showing tremendous bravery and a truely inspiring attitude towards his illness. I will never forget how well he coped with this radical change to his life and ever since then, I have tried to use this tragedy to inspire my outlook on life and to support others who face unexpected sadness in their lives.

One thing I learnt from this experience is that the little things to you, which you probably undervalue, may be a huge thing to someone else. And as some of you know, my hair is something I hugely underappreciate! Some girls spend hours beautifying their hair, spending cash on potions and treatments to get the best look they can possibly get, something I'm frequently reminded of whenever I meet someone new who compliments my locks. To me, my hair is hugely under appreciated and is more of a nuisance than a precious assest...To others, this is not the case.

This is what made me begin the research into donating my useless hair to a worthy cause, eg. Cancer Research or a similar charity. After a look on the Cancer Research website, I realised a few of my ideas about hair donation, couldn't be further from the truth. These are just a few facts from the website

- Human hair wigs are NOT actually the first choice for most people whose hair falls out due to chemotherapy treatment. People who have long term hair loss (alopecia) that is not related to cancer are more likely to buy wigs made from human hair.

- There are 2 main reasons for this: The wigs have to be made to order and this can take up to 2 months. Most people don't know 2 months beforehand that they are going to have chemotherapy, so they need a wig sooner than that.

 

- Human hair wigs are also very expensive. They can cost anywhere between £200 and £2000, compared to a synthetic wig, which costs between £50 and £200. Many people cannot afford real hair wigs, especially when they are only going to be wearing it for a few months until their own hair starts to grow back. Also, you actually need 2 wigs, so that you have one to wear while the other is being cleaned. Human hair wigs need to be cleaned regularly and this is a specialised process that takes time.

 

- There is NO guarantee that your hair will be used for a wig that a cancer patient will use, as they are not given human hair wigs for free, which is a common belief. People treated on the NHS are given one free synthetic wig. If a person prefers to have a human hair wig, they will have to pay for it themselves.

I could think of nothing worse than the sudden appearance of such a life changing illness (where money worries are going to be high up in your list of problems), and then to have to part with huge amounts of money for a natural wig. So, I have found The Little Princess Trust. Unfortunately, this website only caters to children and not adults as well, but if that is the choice between making a difference and not, so be it.

- The Little Princess Trust provides real-hair wigs, FREE OF CHARGE, to boys and girls arcross the UK and Ireland, who have lost their hair through cancer treatment.

- They work with specialist suppliers and experienced hairdressers who offer wigs tailored to the individual child’s needs to give the most realistic look and feel, as close as possible to their original hair.

- They aim to put parents/carers in contact with suppliers as local as possible.

There is so much to know about this charity and the work they do, all included on their facebook page and website, so please have a look if poss. I was truely touched by the amount of support and before/after photos on their page that I couldn't change my mind now even if I wanted to. How much I have cut off depends on the amount of time it takes me to raise a substantial donation towards the cost of the wig, but I will have to donate at least 7 inches. Obviously the longer it takes me to raise the money, the more hair they could stand to receive so I don't have a target date/amount to raise. I just know that everything I can do, will make a difference.

I have secured a lovely friend to perform the drastic chop, who I trust completely to create a gorgeous style with the little amount of hair I'll have left, but this is in no way an easy task for me to undertake. Ever since I can remember, my hair has been a bit of trademark for me and despite the nuisance it is, I'm sure I'll feel like I'm missing a limb at first. I'm sure to some this may seem like a silly thing to donate money towards, as I know what it's like to need every penny from payday, but I'll also be donating funds towards the cause as well as my hair. So If you fancy supporting me and have a few pennies spare towards the kitty, I'd be so grateful for your help to make a difference to little person who's received a life altering surprise.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this, even if you can't donate, every read raises more awareness, but if you have been able to donate, thank you so so much.

Huge love.

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p.s don't forget to gift aid.