Locks of Love.

There are many parts of the human body that truly define a person. One of them is your hair. Certainly there are more vital organs such as your heart, liver or brain, but unless you have x-ray vision, they are not highly visible to the naked eye.

The other day when I flew from New York to Chicago one of the flight attendants had a bandana on her head. Often this is a sign of hair loss or perhaps the re-growth of hair from the effects of a disease such as cancer. I had over heard her talking with one of the passengers that “yes she has cancer and was in remission;” but that her hair had not grown to a point she was comfortable with. Two things struck me about this situation. One was the guts it takes to get back on your feet after such a horrific disease, but more than that---the amount of stress and strain a profession like a flight attendant must go through on a daily basis and how with cancer, she wants to be back in the air.

The interesting thing about your hair, at least I find this to be interesting, is how much money is spent on a dead part of your body. Yes, the part of your hair that makes for a “bad hair day” or “bed head” is actually dead. Yet, we spend an unbelievable amount of money to make sure it looks shiny, manageable, and of course conditioned. It’s the part you don’t see---below the surface---that is the most important. It’s alive and well---unless your bald or losing hair, it’s just pushing out more of the locks you are so proud to show.

It’s when a situation like cancer occurs that creates the instant fear in people when they learn they are ill. I would have to believe after, “Am I going to die?” the second question is likely, “Am I going to lose my hair?” When you have a full head of hair, and it is something that defines who you are---the thought of losing it would naturally add to this whammy of a disease you have just learned about. For a man it’s bad, for a woman it must be indescribable.

The photo above is of my daughter and her aunt. During the holidays a few years back, a beauty salon was set up in our kitchen and the chopping began. I would say when you take the combined lengths of hair from the 3 daughters who had their hair cut, at least one and a half feet found a new home---on the head of another human being. “Locks of Love” is a program where hair is donated to those who have cancer---if life isn’t challenging enough, the need to find hair is a blessing when the chips aren’t just down, they are yanked away from the table.

Thanks for stopping by.