39. Donate my hair

Last Thursday night, a brave friend and her kitchen scissors sawed off the vast majority of my hair:

It looks a bit like the tail end of some poor, dead animal, doesn’t it? For reference, most of that hair ranges from 8 to 11 inches long. It’s layered, so a few bits don’t qualify, but we cut it off in one go rather than worry about measuring each strand.

And I got a proper trim at the hairdresser’s the next day, much to my friend’s relief. So I am now sporting a much shorter haircut, and the hair was mailed off today to Eva & Co. Wigs, the company recommended by UBC’s Cuts for Cancer.

Eva & Co. Wigs makes and donates wigs to the Canadian Cancer Society, and accepts ponytails of at least 8 inches in length (including the shortest hair in a layered ponytail). For more information on donating to Eva & Co. Wigs, visit their website, or check out the Canadian Cancer Society for information on donating to other organisations throughout the country.

Their mailing address is:

Hair Donation Program
107-950 Broadway St W
Vancouver BC  V5Z 1K7 

(Yes, the address listed here is formatted a little differently to the one on their website because if there’s anything I learned in my various customer service/administrative jobs is how to address an envelope properly according to Canada Post regulations. I’ve become extremely anal pedantic since then, i.e. please note that there are no commas or full stops unless part of the address name, the postal code does appear on the same line as city and province, and that there are two spaces between the province and the postal code.)

(This was obviously a far too important aspect of my life at one time.)

Some random facts I’ve learned in the process of growing out and donating my hair:

  • It takes between 8 to 12 ponytails to make a single wig. Each ponytail is worth between US$100-200.
  • Hair donation programs have different requirements for their ponytails, so look carefully! Some accept dyed hair, while others don’t. Lengths also vary, though the bare minimum seems to be 8 inches.
  • Long hair gets split ends easily. It took me more months than I expected to grow my hair out, because I had to get it trimmed every few months to get rid of those persnickety ends.
  • It cost approximately CA$10 to mail my hair, including purchasing a sufficiently large envelope.
  • Short hair is prickly to sleep on.

On a more personal note, this is one of those things I am particularly glad to cross off my Day Zero list, not just to say ‘I did it!’, but because quite a few people in my circles of caring have been diagnosed with cancer in the last two months alone. Donating my hair doesn’t change the lives of anyone I know, but I suppose it’s my gesture of changing something small for someone somewhere, in the face of otherwise helplessness.

The good news is, everyone I know is dealing with their diagnoses, and currently there’s nothing to do but wait and keep an eye on things.

Much love to my beautiful friends and relatives. Your courage and positivity are an inspiration to everyone around you.

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