Locks of Love

In honor of my three-year-old cousin, Trenton - who has leukemia - I chopped off all my long tresses and donated them to Locks of Love today. It was not only a heart-warming moment, but also a teaching opportunity for the second through fifth graders at my local elementary school.

You see, I let our elementary school's Presidential Service Committee in on the fun of getting my hair ready to be cut . . . and my own eight-year-old had the honor of wielding the scissors. Here's a fun collage of pics from this afternoon . . .

Before we began . . .



Measuring 6 1/2 inch ponytails . . .

The girls and the boys both got in on the action.
One of the boys was the photographer with my camera. He did a great job!



One last goofy shot before we pulled out the scissors!


The first cut! Go MJ!

Yep, that's definitely my hair . . . 7 inches worth!

Ponytail #2 - 8 inches! I love Laura's worried expression!

Only two more to go! Ponytail #3 - 6 1/2 inches . . .
I love the teachers' expressions in the background. There were actually several teachers who came out to share the excitement. It was actually more like they couldn't believe I was actually letting kids cut my hair! :)

This was the only oopsy of the haircut.
MJ really got into it (look at that grin!) and while she was cutting, she starting going up on a diagonal. Oopsy! Not that I was worried . . . I just sat back and smiled, telling her she was doing a great job and not to worry - it's only hair. It'll grow back.

Ponytail #4 - 7 1/2 inches!
Notice Laura holding the ponytail so MJ keeps the cut straight.


My Locks of Love . . .
A combined total of 29 inches of hair!

The after pictures . . .
When I took the bands out, it was pretty uneven which gave me a very choppy-style bob.

Partners in Crime . . .
Me & MJ

Lucky me, my girlfriend Amy came all the way out from Utah just to cut & style my hair . . .
Um, that's just wishful thinking. She actually came out as part of her vacation - but she was kind enough to cut my hair and make it look pretty again. It's not styled, but it's totally cute and I love it! Thanks to my two chicks - MJ and Amy.


I had a lot of fun donating my hair. Now I'm going to start growing it back out and do it all over again. Next time, it will be at my elementary school's 1st Annual Locks of Love event in February 2010. What an incredible tradition to start which will benefit children like my cousin who are battling horrible illnesses and losing their hair. I love the Locks of Love program and am grateful to be a small part of it!

Would you like to comment?

Marcia Mickelson said...

What a great thing to do. Your new hair looks cute.

Haley Hatch Freeman said...

Wow! You are awesome! I loved seeing the kids in on the action. My cousin's daughter has leukemia too, and she is 5 years old. It breaks my heart to see these young kids going though it.
You're an inspiration to me!
Plus you look adorable with your new short hair!

Heather Mayfield said...

That is wonderful! A dear friend of our family (and the closest thing I've had to a little sister) passed away from Ewing's Sarcoma (bone cancer) 2 years ago. She was a direct beneficiary of Locks of Love. Thanks so much for being a part of the program--and is such a fun way. By the way, your new "do" is adorable!

Lori said...

Danyelle, you do look adorable. What a wonderful, thoughtful act of service. One of my best friends died of leukemia two years ago.

Unknown said...

Good for you Danyelle! And the new look certainly suits you well!

Rachelle Christensen said...

This is so awesome and what a good example to your kids. We just did this with my 2 girls. I posted info about the new EZ View Craft Desk on my blog, it’s so neat! If you’d like to see details, please stop by!

Northern Nickle Clan said...

Now it's the length I always remember it being. I've donated to Locks Of Love three times now and I've loved it. It's a lot of fun. But, when you have someone to send it to in mind, I bet it's even more meaningful. Congrats. That's awesome.

Rachelle Christensen said...

Oops! Sorry about that, I sent you a broken link earlier. Here it is fixed.I posted info about the new EZ View Craft Desk on my blog, it’s so neat! If you’d like to see details, please stop by!

Danyelle Ferguson said...

Thanks, everyone. It really was fun and I enjoyed talking to the kid about Trent.

Kellie said...

That's so cool! I plan on growing my hair out until after Halloween. I'm not sure if I can wait that long, but I'm trying. I should look up a Locks of Love here. Thanks for the inspiration!