Brave Ria donates hair despite leukaemia diagnosis

Ria Molly Shelly, 11, had been growing her hair for two years after reading about The Rapunzel Foundation, a charity that collects real hair to make wigs for alopecia sufferers, when she was diagnosed with a rare form of leukaemia in May.

Despite her diagnosis, she went ahead with her plans and had her haircut at her home in Coolboy, Co Wicklow, with Gorey hairdresser Christine Doyle visiting for the occasion and cutting Ria’s waist-length locks into a stylish bob.

“I saw little children that needed it and I saw that they needed it more than I did so I wanted to give it to them,” Ria said before her haircut.