The idea of cutting eight inches of her hair off for Kids with Cancer Society didn’t scare Grade 8 student Saralea Andrichuk when she chopped it off last Tuesday at the Mane Attraction salon.
In fact, she already has plans to donate more hair to the charity in the future and is now a short-haired girl who is also trying to raise money for the cancer society.
The idea to donate her hair so it can be used for wigs for cancer patients came to the Dr.Swift student when she read life stories of individuals who battled cancer and inspired her to do more.
“I have lost a few of my family members but I also wanted to make a change in the world and that I can make a difference in the lives of other children,” Saralea said.
But it was meeting a local teen who is a cancer survivor and hearing her stories about having cancer as a child that really pushed Andrichuk to cut her hair off.
“It is amazing how people go through that and still manage to lead a normal life,” said Andrichuk, adding that the local teen helped her see the personal struggles and hard times of having cancer.
It’s been a year since Andrichuk first wanted to cut her hair off for cancer and her mother, Karen, couldn’t be more proud.
“She’s here to help somebody else out,” she said.
The Kids with Cancer Society provides families and cancer patients with the necessary support systems and Andrichuk says the charity, “provides more direct support and services for children with cancer than all other northern Alberta charities combined.”
Saralea has a goal to raise $3,000 for the charity, and has almost $400 so far. The teen is still accepting donations until November 1 and anyone interested in donating to the cause can contact the Andrichuks at 780-404-5275.
