On Thursday, I made a radical move…
I cut 14 inches of my hair. It was waist length previously, and then, chop chop, my hair was short as a boy’s. I put the ponytail into a sealed zip lock bag, and donated to Hair We Share - a philanthropy that gives free human hair wigs to people suffering from hair loss due to medical conditions, mostly cancer.
The idea came a year ago, when I read somewhere on how wigs of real hair made a huge difference in the life of a cancer patient, helping her feel normal again and giving her strength to fight the disease. That was when I learned about hair donation, and it planted a seed in my mind.
Over the last few years, I’ve encountered some brilliant memoirs of cancer patients, including Paul Kalanithi’s When Breath Becomes Air, and Julie Yip-Williams’ final letters to her daughters. I couldn’t help but empathize on the enormous challenges they faced at such young age (30s and 40s), and admire the bravery they had fighting cancer. It’s since been my wish to help cancer patients cope with their illness in any way I can.
The opportunity came during the pandemic, when I would go to the barber’s less and less frequently. Last September, when my hair was shoulder length and ripe for another haircut, I recalled the time when I read about human hair wigs and cancer patients. I decided to let it grow for another 6 months and for the first time, donate my hair.
The experience of giving was very thrilling, almost like a ritual. I picked a lucky date on lunar calendar - a day when cutting hair is supposed to bring good luck - and decided to take action. Standing in front of my bathroom mirror, I tied my hair into two ponytails, and used my scissors to cut them off. The ponytails broke free, set for a new journey of their own.
And just like that, there went the hair that I grew for the past 1.5 years. All 14 inches of black, long Asian hair, hair that received a lot of compliments, hair that had never been dyed or permed - I’m giving them away. They accompanied me everywhere I went during the pandemic - biking up and down to explore New York City, hiking in the west coast mountains, going to parties, dates and art exhibitions. They witnessed a job change, an address move, a few short relationships and a few episodes of sickness that have since been cured. And now, I am sending them away to accompany another person’s life journey. Hope this hair that has been through a fun and challenging period of a girl’s 20s will instill some normalness in another person’s hard-fought battle against a terminal illness. I wish them best of luck.
And for now, my hair is short, but my heart is full.
