These Girls Had Their Braids Chopped – but for a Good Cause

Even as braid chopping and choti cutting stories dominate the headlines, two little girls in NCR volunteered to get their braids chopped. No monster here – the girls donated their hair for a cause.

Ten-year-old Myra and eight-year-old Arna decided to donate their hair for making wigs for cancer patients, after learning about it from a friend in the US. India is among the top three nations with incidence of Breast Cancer.

What’s more disturbing – India is likely to have over 17.3 lakh new cases of cancer, and over 8.8 lakh deaths due to the disease by 2020 with breast, lung and cervix cancer topping the list.

Also Read: I’m Only 35 Years Old, But I’m Battling Breast Cancer

Wise beyond her years, Myra, who is an avid golfer, says she loves her hair and loves to tie them up in different styles.

Little Arna loves to tie her hair in a pony.

But the cause was close to Myra’s heart. Her friend donated her hair in the US, and she wanted to do the same. Luckily for her, her parents, Neelam and Dharmen Trivedi were very supportive.

I love her hair. I have groomed it with so much love and care. But the cause was close to her heart. She wants to donate and I want to support her.

Neelam, Myra’s Mom

"I had no idea you could donate hair. When my girls told me about it, I thought it was a beautiful gesture," says the father.

The hair once chopped, will go to Hair For Hope, India an NGO that makes natural wigs out of donated hair, and gifts them to cancer patients who’ve lost their hair to painful chemotherapy.

Hope for Hair was started by Premi Mathew. She says,

Just three weeks after the first round of chemo, hair starts to fall. It’s highly traumatic and a lot of women will confine themselves to their houses. They lose the courage to face the society.

Also Read: Are We Close to Curing Terminal Cancer?

Want to donate? Keep this in Mind!

Hair donation, like organ donation, is rare in India. But it’s simple. All you need is conviction and a few things to keep in mind:

• Your hair should not be chemically treated.
• They need to be a minimum of 15-inches-long.
• On the day of donation, make sure your hair is not oiled. Its washed and clean.
• Braid your hair, chop then neatly, or partition them in ponytails. Make sure the hair is neatly packed before they are sent to an NGO of your choice.

A good quality natural hair wig can cost an upwards of Rs 15,000. And it takes hair from five to six people to make one wig. So if you have good hair, donate! And bring a smile to the faces of those battling their inner insecurities as they fight cancer.

Cameraperson: Athar Rather

Editor: Rahul Sanpui