Third-year UA law student Emilie Hyams sports a short hairstyle today, but her tresses once grazed her lower back.
As a freshman in St. Louis, Hyams was asked to donate her hair to Locks of Love, a nonprofit organization that provides wigs to children with medical hair loss. She has since donated her hair three times.
"It's something nice to do. Hair grows back," said Hyams, 25. "I never thought hair to be a prize possession, but kids can be cruel, and if having hair helps a kid feel normal and makes them happy, well then, I'm happy to promote it."
That's why Hyams is not only a hair donor, but helps organize Locks of Love drives, including one from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. next Tuesday at Great Clips in the University of Arizona Student Union, 1303 E. University Blvd.
"These kids are going through so much medically, then they have to deal with losing their hair," Hyams said.
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This is the third event she has helped organize in Tucson.
Other organizers are UA students David Abraham and Megan Lichter. All three are volunteers with the Hillel Foundation, the campus Jewish students' organization.
"These children have to go through extreme treatments and are facing the fact that they look different," said Lichter, a sophomore and the event's co-chair. "Their self-esteem may be low, and just by giving them a way to feel pretty again and look like everyone else, is amazing. It is a cost-effective way we are making a small difference."
Abraham, also a sophomore, said he is looking forward to the event.
"We get to help children that need it," he said. "Putting a smile on a kid's face is one of the most important things we can do."
Great Clips stylists will provide free haircuts for men or women who wish to cut off more than 10 inches of their hair, which will in turn be used to make hairpieces for children.
"There are so many children out there that don't have the financial capability to afford expensive hairpieces," said Lichter.
The hairpieces are custom-fitted for each child. They are vacuum-fitted so they do not require tape or glue. Each hairpiece requires about 140,000 individual hairs — depending on the thickness and the type of hair donated — which are injected by hand into a silicone base. It is a four-month process requiring about 10 to 15 ponytail donations to complete a hairpiece.
Jennifer Gonzalez, 29, has hair down to her waist and has been planning on having it cut for a long time. Locks of Love gives her that opportunity.
"I will be a little bit sad to see the hair go, but I'm ready for a change," she said. "To be able to help someone with that, it'll make me feel really, really good."
Like many people, Lichter has highlighted hair, so she can't donate it.
"If you have highlighted and bleached hair, don't donate because the chemicals that are in your hair affect the children because their autoimmune system is weak," she said.
After Hyams donated her hair the first time, her mother and several friends were diagnosed with cancer.
Her mother did not lose her hair, but her friends did after cancer treatments.
"I never thought losing your hair was such a big deal, but seeing such strong, powerful women losing their hair and having trouble with it opened my eyes," she said. "Losing your hair is like your message to the world, telling them you're sick. You don't have control of who you share it with. It's a symbol of their sickness."
● Locks of Love hair donation drive. Donors get free haircuts.
l When: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. next Tuesday.
l Where: Great Clips in the University of Arizona Student Union, 1303 E. University Blvd.
l For more information: Call the Hillel Foundation at 624-6561.
l 10 inches or longer.
l Clean and dry.
l Bundled in a ponytail or braid.
l Free of chemical damage.
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