Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
Big-hearted School boy Orion O’Connor stepped up to the chopping block to donate his long, glossy hair to help make wigs for children suffering from cancer.
The 12-year-old St Christopher’s Senior School student was the first boy to participate in Beauty Spot Salon’s ‘Cuts for Confidence’ campaign to supply real-hair wigs to children suffering from cancer and other conditions resulting in hair loss, such as alopecia.
The initiative came about when salon owner Hessa Al Khalifa and her social media and marketing strategist Nikki Bonnici decided to support a good cause during ‘Pink-tober’ – the month in which many cancer awareness drives are coming under a global spotlight such as The Little Princess Trust’s hair collecting charity.
Orion, who lives in Janabiya with his parents Myles and Lisa and cat Lulu, decided to stick his head out for the cause in memory of his grandmother.
“I thought it would be cool to do something for children who suffer from cancer and lose their hair and it was something I could do myself without having to ask for money from other people,” he said. “My grandmother died of cancer and lost her hair in the process of chemotherapy.”
Orion started growing his hair in Year Six and it took him two-and-a-half years to get it long enough for the big cut. “It has been quite fun growing my hair,” he admitted. “I have been asked many times why I had such long hair and I would always tell people that I intended to donate it to the cancer charity.
“The only downside has been my mum asking me to look after my hair and everybody assuming that I was a girl, which I found a bit annoying!
“Since the cut it has taken a bit of time to settle back into having short hair and not having to brush it every day. The Little Princess Trust is a great charity and, hey, it’s not just for girls!”
Orion joined scores of women with luscious locks from across the kingdom who have been donating to the cause.
He had around eight inches cut off, just above the minimum required to make the wigs which is seven inches or, as Nikki, says, ‘the longer the better!’
“Orion is an awesome kid,” she added. “He grew his hair especially to donate it which makes him a special young man in our books. He was the first boy to step forward and we are all grateful and proud of him as we are with every donator.
“This is an incredibly important cause. Children can be cruel when you look different and children with cancer have suffered teasing and bullying on top of having to cope with the side-effects of treatment.
“They just want to look the same as everyone else. As a hair salon, it’s an obvious way for us to really help.”
The UK-based Little Princess Trust was launched in 2006 by Wendy and Simon, the parents of Hannah Tarplee, for that very reason. Their daughter, who they called their ‘little princess’, passed away in 2005 after struggling against Wilms tumour, or nephroblastoma, a cancer of the kidneys that typically occurs in children.
Hannah loved her hair and losing it during treatment proved extremely traumatic which is why they wanted to help others in the same situation.
More than 100 women have donated their hair since the salon offered its support to the campaign three years ago. This time, the salon decided to dedicate the entire month to help raise awareness rather than just a two-day event which they staged last year.
Nikki added: “We are always collecting hair. Many ladies come in and want to donate. A couple of weeks back we sent in 3kg of hair to the charity.
“We wanted to make a big push in October as it’s a global cancer awareness month but we do collect and make donations all year around. We wait until we have a sizeable amount then we send in packages to the UK.”
The hair, which is cut into ponytails tied at both ends, is bagged and shipped. Then, hair deemed acceptable gets sent to a wig-making factory in China.
The wigs, made in particularly small sizes, would normally cost around BD250 each, and are given to children with cancer for free.
In 2013 pop sensation, Jessie J, donated her hair to the charity by shaving her head and in 2016 One Direction’s Harry Styles also cut his locks for the cause.
To donate, book an appointment by calling the salon on 1761188 or send Nikki a message via the Beauty Spot Salon and Spa Facebook Page, a direct message on the Instagram Account @beautyspotbahrain or an email beautyspotbahrain@gmail.com
Make sure to state ‘hair donation’ in the communication. The donation cut and, if leaving the hair wet, is free. However, if a client wants a re-style and blow-dry afterwards, then a normal cost will be incurred.
