DerryNews.com, Derry, New Hampshire

Chester

Related Photos

  • Julie Huss

    7357906ET.jpg

Discussion

Welcome to our online comments feature. To join the discussion, you must first register with Disqus and verify your email address. Once you do, your comments will post automatically. We welcome your thoughts and your opinions, including unpopular ones. We ask only that you keep the conversation civil and clean. We reserve the right to remove comments that are obscene, racist or abusive and statements that are false or unverifiable. Repeat offenders will be blocked. You may flag objectionable comments for review by a moderator.

comments powered by Disqus
December 23, 2009

A ponytail for her 'pop'

Chester girl donates hair to help others while dad battles cancer

By Julie Huss

CHESTER — Kelley McCormick wanted to help children with cancer.

The 7-year-old second-grader at Chester Academy decided to grow her hair long enough to cut and donate to the organization Locks of Love and give ill children a chance to have a full head of hair again. Little did she know a simple haircut would also inspire her father in a cancer battle of his own.

For over a year, little Kelley has grown her light brown hair long enough to cut off to donate to Locks of Love to make wigs and to help children battling hair loss from cancer and other illnesses.

But when her father, Wayne, was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma only a few weeks ago, Kelley's quest took on a more personal turn.

Last week the little girl, surrounded by her parents, siblings, grandparents and family friends, had about a foot of her hair cut off to send off to Locks of Love. Her dad stood nearby, sporting a brand new shaved head as he undergoes chemotherapy treatment and cheering his daughter on.

"She thought of this herself," Kristen McCormick said of her daughter's haircut idea. "She looked at me this week and said it's time."

The time was right, according to Kelley, to go have her hair cut. She had watched her dad shave his head as he battled his disease and wanted to be part of his process as well.

Wayne McCormick said when his children found out about his cancer, they showed concern in their own ways according to their ages and maturity level. For Kelley, he said she focused on his hair right away and what might happen during chemotherapy.

"The night we told them, she [Kelley] cried a lot and as I tucked her in that night, she kept saying, 'I don't want you to lose your hair,'" he said.

Last week everyone gathered in Londonderry at a salon at Crossroads Mall where hair stylist and McCormick family friend Heidi Furlong took charge over little Kelley's haircut. After putting the hair in a ponytail and banding the hair, Furlong invited Kelley's father to come up and make the final cut.

"I'm so proud of her," said Kristen McCormick, Kelley's mom.

After family photos and well wishes from Kelley's extended family, it was time for Furlong to wash out the little girl's hair and then create a new, shorter hairstyle.

Wayne McCormick said his daughter was a bit teary-eyed later that night when she pondered her new hair length. She knew what she had done was important, but still she missed her hair, and also felt bad about her dad's hair loss, too.

"I told her I was very proud of her and reminded her of what a good thing she had done," he said. "I rubbed the skin on the top of my head and told Kelley that somewhere there was a little girl who had cancer and had lost her hair just like me. I told her that little girl was probably very sad about losing her hair, maybe even crying about it, but very soon, that little girl was going to get a wig made from Kelley's hair and that little girl wouldn't be sad anymore."

Kelley now sports a shoulder-length hairstyle but said she hopes to maybe grow her hair long again for Locks of Love. Right now, she said she is proud to have helped children.

"I am very happy," she said.

For Kelley's dad, seeing his daughter take on such a wonderful act warmed his heart in a big way.

"Some of the most profound acts of compassion come from the simple actions of children," he said. "This week, my-7-year- old daughter, Kelley, proved this to me."

Wayne McCormick posts updates on his cancer treatment progress on the online site www.caringbridge.org. To learn more about Locks of Love, visit the organization online at www.locksoflove.org.

Text Only | Photo Reprints
A ponytail for her 'pop'
by By Julie Huss , , Wed Dec 23, 2009, 04:23 PM EST
Chester

Latest News

Stocks