Lily donates tresses to cancer charity

MOST eight-year-olds working on posting letters to Santa and are dreaming of all they’ll receive. Not Lily Harley.

The eight-year-old from west Cork has donated her hair to charity. She got her long locks cut and posted off to be made into a wig for a child with cancer.

She came up with the idea in September. It was back-to-school time, and her siblings were getting trims.

“Lily said she wanted all her hair cut,” explains her mum, Cammy. “She has an aunt in Scotland who has cancer. She cut her hair before her chemo, and donated it to a charity. That sowed the seed. I think it made Lily realise cancer had come close to her. I was shocked that she wanted her hair cut. She has beautiful auburn hair. It’s the first thing people notice about Lily. They say they would love to have hair like hers. But I wasn’t surprised. Lily has always been a giving child.”

Wielding the scissors was Debbie Farrell of Kinky Afro in Drimoleague. Lily is thrilled with her cropped style. And happy to know children with cancer will benefit. “I couldn’t wait,” she said with a grin.

“She gives away everything. She gives away crayons at school, and she’s always giving her toys away to her brothers and sisters. One Christmas she wanted a ‘FurReal’ monkey from Santa. She got it. It was a fantastic toy. But on Stephen’s day some friends came to play. They loved the toy, and she gave it to them. I said, ‘don’t give it away,’ but she said, ‘it’s fine. They want it more than I do’.”

When Lily made her request, Cammy didn’t know how to proceed at first.

“Nobody knew how or where to get it done. So I did some research.”

Cammy discovered that there isn’t a charity in Ireland that accepts hair. The company supplying children with cancer, Roches Wigs, use Asian hair. But I found a company in the UK, www.littleprincesses.org.uk who do accept hair. And I got in touch with them.

“The hair is cut off in a pony-tail. It has to be at least 10 to 12 inches long, and in good condition. The hair is sent to a factory in China to be made into a wig. The wigs are then distributed to children with cancer in the UK.”

Asked, just before her hair appointment if she’d any second thoughts, Lily said: “I can’t wait.”

Picture: Eight-year-old Lily Harley, who had her Golden Hair Cut for charity by stylist Debbie at Kinky Afro Drimoleague, Co Cork. Pictures: Des Barry