Monday, July 13, 2009

Locks of love and more questions

"WHAT IS LOCKS OF LOVE?
Locks of Love is a public non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children in the United States and Canada under age 18 suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis. We meet a unique need for children by using donated hair to create the highest quality hair prosthetics. Most of the children helped by Locks of Love have lost their hair due to a medical condition called alopecia areata (http://www.naaf.org/), which has no known cause or cure. The prostheses we provide help to restore their self-esteem and their confidence, enabling them to face the world and their peers." from http://www.locksoflove.org/

Saturday and Sunday as I was walking for cancer it was brought up that no one knew where Locks of Love hairpieces were going, if anywhere. It doesn't take much poking around to find out children benefit from Locks of Love. Or course, what were we thinking? Now I wonder how many hair pieces are given away each year. I wonder who makes the bulk of these hairpieces. Does one state have a higher incidence of alopecia areata than others? "No known cause or cure." - yet it appears hair growth can recur; that the hairloss is not necessarily total, nor permanent. Are there other illnesses that accompany alopecia areata? Please tell me no, not usually.

Just when I think I have found answers, I come up with more questions.

1 comment:

  1. I think St Jude's children's hospital in Memphis may be one major recipient. People come from everywhere for care there, and many of them are terminal or dealing with illnesses that directly or indirectly take their hair.
    Now you are going to make me cry, remembering one special, regular passenger who crossed my path for a period of time, during my airline days there.

    ReplyDelete