Before

Would you sponsor me to cut off my hair?

Here’s ma hair. Click here to sponsor the cut!

Even better, let’s cut out the causality and put it like this: would you donate to our Partners fund to help us get to South East Asia to bring free, full lives to children affected by conflict and oppression?

And in unrelated news, I’m going to cut my hair off.

[Click here to read all about my family’s planned move if you missed the news last week.]

I’m keen to make the most of the cut, so I’m also planning to donate my ponytail. I’ll be sending it off to Pantene Beautiful Lengths to be made into a wig to be given to someone who’s lost their hair to chemotherapy. (Add your own political joke about ponytails here.)

So it’s win-win-win, really. I’ll get a new, short haircut (good for the tropics, right?). Someone who’s feeling terrible from cancer and its treatment will get a pretty wig to just make a little dent in the awfulness. My family and I get to work with Partners in Thailand and Myanmar to make life better for people with really tough lives.

And – if you wanna – you get to be part of all of that too. If any part of it excites you, please feel free to express that with your credit card at our Givealittle page

I’ll update this post tomorrow after the cut!

PS: As well as collecting one-off donations at our Givealittle page, we’re also on the look-out for long-term team members who will make regular donations to Partners throughout the time we’re in Asia, to cover our living expenses.

If you think that might be you, please get in touch by email (sacraparental at gmail dot com) or leave a comment (so I can email you back privately – your email is displayed only to me when you comment).

After!

‘Do you still want to do this?’ asked my husband this morning.

‘Well… I don’t really have a choice now’

‘Yeah. You’ve got a choice. But… reputation… tatters…’

Luckily I did still want to do it.

Megan and Anna recommended Neisha at Hairline, and she was fabulous! I had only a vague idea of what I wanted and she listened really well and was super kind and encouraging. And it turns out she and her husband own one of our favourite cafes in Hamilton – Hazel Hayes.

Anyway: here is the hair I’m sending off to Beautiful Lengths to made into a wig (or maybe two?) for people losing their hair to chemotherapy. I was telling my son last night – he’s not best pleased at the idea of me cutting my hair – that our lovely friend Robyn used to enjoy having two wigs when she lost her hair, one blonde and one brunette, so she could inject some mischief into the day. Maybe my hair will be someone’s brunette wig they can use to confuse their friends, or just keep their neck warm.

Giving my hair to Beautiful Lengths to be made into a wig

To see the ‘after’ shots of me, well, I’m wising up. Head over to our fundraising page and click on the gallery!

And here’s a brand-new snapshot video of what Partners is all about:

Someone suggested to my three-year-old recently that he should get a haircut. He said, slightly scornfully, ‘No! Mama and me don’t get haircuts!’ as if everyone should know that.

He wasn’t best pleased at the idea of me changing that status quo. Wish me all the best for the grand reveal at kindy pick-up time tonight.

Now, how about you? Do you have hair donation stories? I heard yesterday of a friend’s granddaughter, must be about five years old, who donated her ponytail. Amazing, eh?

Tell us your stories in the comments below!

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