Nine-Year-Old Boy Chops His Hair Off To Make Wigs For Kids With Cancer

Aug 23, 2020 by apost team

Getting a major haircut can be stressful for anyone. Even children often have a lot of anxiety about going under the scissors for the first time. Yet, a nine-year-old Essex boy took his first haircut in his stride and made a difference at the same time. He had nearly two feet of his flowing blonde locks chopped off to benefit children with cancer.

Cancer is a particularly heart-breaking disease because the toll it takes is not just physical, but emotional as well. Cancer treatment often involves chemotherapy, which has the side effect of hair loss. Thus, combining the fear of cancer with physical changes is a difficult task for anyone to deal with. For children, it is often worse.

However, many charities have been formed over the years to help ease this difficulty. By taking donations of human hair, these organizations can make high-quality wigs that are then donated to those in need. It's an incredibly worthwhile cause, but donations are often hard to come by.

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Most young boys balk at the idea of long hair and instead decide to sport shorter cuts. So what lead nine-year-old Reilly Stancombe to grow out his flowing curls? He was inspired by his favorite footballer Gareth Bale's long silky hair.

Seeing his hero on the telly, Reilly wanted the hair to match. Reilly's parents decided that long hair didn't do anyone any harm, and if anything it was one less expense and trip into town. Thus, Reilly never got a single haircut until this move.

However, Stancombe said his hair was starting to get "a bit too long and it was about time to cut it." However, he knew that he was about to lose a significant amount of hair and didn't want it to go to waste.

According to Heart, Reilly said to Good Morning Britain,

"I wanted to give it away to the people that had cancer. I saw lots of kids fighting cancer and they didn't have any hair. I wanted to do something about that."

In all, Reilly lost almost two feet of his blonde hair. His mother, Daisy Canny, said it was "a surprise to see him with short hair for the first time. He'd always had at least shoulder-length hair even as a toddler, and as he got older it just grew and grew." However, despite the difference, she was quick to say,

"I'd support Reilly regardless of what he wants to do, and I'm extremely proud that he is so charitably minded at such a young age."

Reilly got his charitable hair cut at Masters & Misters barbers, located in Clacton-on-Sea. He was a bit nervous about the entire experience but ended up loving his new look. Even more than the look, however, he continued to be focused on the good that his hair could do.

Reilly noted,

"I hope this can make a lot of people happy. Once they have a wig, maybe they won't feel like they're different anymore."

Once bundled into a ponytail, the hair went to the Little Princess Trust who will make the hair into a wig for a deserving cancer patient. The publicity that Reilly received went beyond just his hair.

In addition to the hair donation, Reilly and his mum set up a GoFundMe campaign for the Little Princess Trust as well. So far they've raised over £5,500 ($7,200) and the number continues to rise.

Stories like this are a wonderful reminder that even young children can make a huge impact on the world. Reilly's donation will do a lot of good, and Reilly will undoubtedly continue to be a positive influence on those around him. What is your favorite example of a child with a charitable mission? Tell us below. Send this article to your friends and family to brighten their day.