When talking about Tanya Bird’s hair, the long and short of it is, it’ll grow back.
Bird, a village resident, says she never hesitated when donating more than 13 inches of her considerable mane to kids without tresses.
‘I just felt I was ready to give my hair again, to children,? said Bird.
Aug. 18 marked the fifth time Bird, 36, has donated to Locks of Love, a charity that uses donations of human hair to make high quality wigs for children unable to grow hair.
The only other time Bird has received a haircut, she was 8-years-old. When she began nursing school at 24, she found out about the program through a friend whose son had lost his hair while battling leukemia.
According to the organization’s Website, www.locksoflove.org, LOL is ‘a non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children 18 and under suffering from long- term medical hair loss.? Reasons for the long-term hair loss can include effects of cancer treatment and Alopecia Areata, a skin disease that causes hair loss.
Bird says the wigs donated by the organization to children would typically cost $1,400-$1,700. Synthetic wigs are available for less, but Bird says it’s crucial to give kids the closest thing to their own hair as is possible.
The wigs last about a year, explains Bird, and need to be cut, styled and washed just as one’s own hair would be.
Bird says she was nervous before donating her hair for the first time, but knew she was helping a good cause. Brown locks that stretched to Bird’s lower back were brushed straight and pulled into a ponytail, before a stylist took scissors to the base of the ponytail, ready to cut it loose from the roots .
‘I seem to tear up every time, just before,? says Bird. ‘But it’s not because I’m scared to get it cut, it’s just? change. But change, in this regard, is a good thing. A young child is going to be able to benefit and have a stylish wig and feel like they fit. Children’s self-esteem is very important at a young age. They need to feel like they are like other kids their own age.?
Knowing that, Bird says her answer came easy when the stylist asked her if she was sure about the cut.
‘I said, ‘Go ahead and cut it, it’s for a good cause,?? recalls Bird.
After donating that first time, Bird says she knew she would give again. At 27, Bird donated hair for the second time. Her third time donating came shortly before she turned 30, following her wedding to husband, David.
‘He tells me he loves me with long hair, and he loves me with short hair,? says Bird of her husband’s reaction to the change.
Even Bird’s 5-year-old daughter, Adaline, wants to get in on the act after seeing pictures of the difference a wig makes on the LOL Website.
‘She’s not ready to give yet,? says Bird of her long- haired child, ‘but she wants to do the same thing as mommy when she’s ready.?
Bird’s fourth time donating hair was in 2003, but she has never before had her hair cut as short as now, as it rests between her shoulders and her chin.
The cut was made at Shear Madness Salon, 8339 M-15 in Goodrich, by owner Shelli Hebert.
‘We get a few people (donating to Locks of Love) in here a year,? said Hebert.
For stylists interested in helping the charity, Hebert says the process is easy.
‘It’s nothing difficult. Just download a form from the Website and write in what you did,? said Hebert. ‘It’s really exciting to see before your eyes, a complete transformation of someone. It can be a very emotional experience for them.?
Hebert says Bird seemed anxious before getting the cut, despite having gone through the process so many times before.
‘She was very, very nervous. I just waited until she was sure,? says Hebert. ‘Hair tends to be a security blanket for some people.?
Bird says she only wishes there was a similar program in place to help adults unable to afford quality wigs. A close family member has to come up with money out-of-pocket for wigs, says Bird, and having a charity such as Locks of Love in place for individuals older than 18 in that situation would be wonderful.
However, Bird quickly adds that children are the reason.
‘Short hair is not going to make a difference in your life,? says Bird. ‘My hair is going to grow back and if my hair can give a child a boost in self esteem, then I’ll give again and again and again. And I will.?