By:Angela Marshall
When Megan Roughan returns to school next month, many of her classmates are likely to do a double take. The 7-year-old had 12 inches cut from her hair.
She didn't do it because she was tired of long hair. Megan grew her hair out so that it could be cut off and used to a make a wig for a child suffering from cancer. A friend of Megan's did the same thing last year and it touched her heart so much, she decided to do it herself.
Locks of Love requires donated hair be at least 10 inches long and that meant Megan, whose hair was shoulder length at the time, had some growing to do.
Her mother Laurie said Megan had seen a girl younger than she at the beach and the girl was bald because of cancer treatments at just about the same time last summer. "She made the connection right away," Laurie said.
Megan's aunt is also being treated for breast cancer. And this has made the little girl even more acutely aware of how important her gift is.
On Aug. 4 Megan and her mom walked into the JoMaur Salon on Sunrise Highway to finish the project.
"I was just very touched that a young child could be so sensitive to other children," said Joleen Balistreri, who has been the family's hairstylist for many years. "She wasn't scared. She was very sweet."
Megan's hair, which once flowed the length of her back, is now above her jaw line. The cut hair is stored in a ponytail awaiting shipping to Locks of Love. It takes approximately 12 ponytails to make one hairpiece.
"It felt like a great thing to do," Megan said after it was over.
Laurie said the family is very proud of her and that the new cut "made her look five years older immediately."
Megan, who will start third grade at St. Agnes Cathedral School, has no plans to grow her hair out anytime soon. She likes the lighter feeling.
For more information about Locks of Love, see its Web site at www.locksoflove.org
