If you have kept up with my #blog at all then you know most of this #story. I got really good feedback and I know #steemit has grown a lot since I posted the first time. I wanted to add a lot of detail and tell a more descriptive story.
When I was 18 years old, I found out that my grandmother had #cancer. She had smoked her entire #life so we couldn’t really say we were surprised. I came from a small town and had never really had anything terrible happen to me, but this was serious. It was definitely a shock when we found out. She had actually kept it a secret from me and my dad for a few months. We were a little upset that we were the last to find out. Any who.. she started getting treatment and thus her #journey to recovery began. She was handling everything extremely well until the hair loss occurred. She had always had a decent amount of hair, but we could tell it was heart breaking for her to see her hair falling out. It was heart breaking for all of us as well. Not that her situation wasn’t bad, but it got me thinking about all of the children that go through this. The #children that grow up without hair. The little girls who don’t get to have long #beautiful, princess like hair. It made me realize that even something as simple as hair is something we take for granted every single day. That is when I decided I wanted to donate my hair. I wanted some little girl to have long beautiful blonde hair and look and feel like the princess she truly is. That’s when my journey started. Believe me, it was hard work.
I was a freshman in #college in this picture. This was actually probably the shortest my hair had been in a long time and quite possibly part of the reason I chose to grow it out, haha. I hated having short hair so at first it was easy to keep growing it!
This was about 3 months in. My hair was pretty much losing shape and had no actual style going haha. James Franco was my inspiration, I wanted to grow my hair out as long as his was in Pineapple Express. I still had a very long way to go, but I was on my way!
This was 6 months in. This is actually when growing my hair out started to seem like a bad idea. I had no hair style at all so I starting wearing hats every where I went. That's majority of the reason my fiancee doesn't want me to grow it back out. My hair at this stage was also beginning to resemble a girl's hair cut haha.
So this is 1 year in. That's me and my mom. She is actually a hair dresser so at this point she was dying to cut it. It was still kind of a girlie hair style but it was starting to get the surfer look to it. I was still wearing hats everywhere, due to my hideous receding hair line that my dad cursed me with.
The 1 and a half year mark. What do ya know, still wearing a hat! I'm not kidding, by this point I owned over 20 different hats. My hair was finally, in my opinion, starting to look long. I started getting noticed at parties and was beginning to be remembered around campus for my long blonde hair. It was still only like 5 inches in a pony tail though so no where near #donation length. I kept growing!
The two year mark!I had actually let Skylar straighten it that night so it looked extra long. It was Christmas Eve that night so New Years was coming up. My resolution was to not cut my hair for another year. My pony tail was around 9 inches by this time. So it was pretty much long enough to donate but I kept going.
Two and half years in and it is super long now! Everyone I see at this point compliments my hair somewhere in the conversation. No lie I had been wearing hats for 2 and half years straight haha. I loved my long hair, but I definitely did not like wearing a hat so much. Either way, I kept growing, I had half a year to go!
I hit my 3 year mark and just wasn't quite ready to cut it, I know that is selfish of me. I just couldn't make myself do it! I loved my hair and so did everyone else! I decided I could wait a little longer. My long hair had become something I was known for everywhere I went. I would get comments like "there's the surfer kid" or "your hair is so pretty" and every time someone would talk about my hair or bring it up, I would tell them the same thing. I would say, I am growing this hair out for people with cancer so that I can donate it. I received tons of positive support from everyone that I met or talked with. My biggest fan was my grandmother of course. I could see the tears in her eyes when I would see her sometimes. She was so proud to see me doing such a remarkable thing. It had been quite a journey with all of that hair. 3 and a half years of memories made with that mop. As much as I wanted to keep it, I had a promise to fulfill.
Finally, on January 1st, 2014 the deed was done. 3 and a half years later my hair was 12 inches long when put into a pony tail. My hair was actually still shoulder length after I donated the 12 inches, but I went ahead and cut it all off. I was starting a new year so I was going to start an entire new “me.” I absolutely hated it at first. My #family has a history of receding hairlines, as I mentioned before, and you could really see mine after I cut all of my hair off. Wearing a hat for so long really took a tole on my head haha. I was a 20 year old guy who looked like he was balding. I think from wearing my hair in a pony so much and wearing hats, it made my hair line even worse. I was so upset at first, but then I remembered why I did it. I helped some little girl feel beautiful again. I remember the feeling of knowing I was giving something that I have a surplus of to someone who is not as fortunate and it was a huge #blessing. When you package your hair to be shipped off, a feeling of #accomplishment comes over you that makes it all worth it. Not only did I donate to a good cause, but I overcame my fear of change by cutting it all off. This whole #experience has taught me that when you take a step outside of your comfort zone you can grow as a person. Doing something as easy as cutting your hair can mean so much to someone who cannot grow their own. I strongly recommend to anyone who has even considered donating their hair to take the plunge and go for it. There is nothing to lose, but a lot to give. I would lov eto see the steemit #community get involved.
I am in the beginning stages again of growing my hair out. My hair is the same length it was exactly 4 years ago. Around the same time I started growing it the first time. My fiancee loved my hair long, but after I cut it she said she never wants me to go back. She really doesn’t want me to grow it back out, especially since our wedding is next year. What do you guys think? I donated once and it took 3.5 years. Should I do it again? #Grow or #cut???
I upvoted You
Well done!
My daughter also donated her hair to a wigs for kids programme this year. She's only 11 - so proud of my brave girl cutting off all of her hair for a good cause!
If you can, you should definitely do it again
She is awesome for doing that! I really want to grow it again! It's on its way now.
That's you mom? I honestly thought that was your GF. LOL Upvoted!
Hahahah I will take that as a compliment! Because we look just alike!
wow. that's you!?
Yup that's me!
That's awesome! I also cut my hair and donated it, it was a very rewarding experience. I continue to donate my hair every time I chop it off.
That's awesome!
Cut!!
Everyone, the fiancée that wants me to cut it ^