Last weekend I had the wonderful opportunity to donate my hair. I was planning on posting about this last week, but due to the unexpected ER visit I had to wait for this weekend! At the beginning of the school year, when I was walking around the clubs fair, I ran into a table that was giving out free t-shirts. I had absolutely no idea what it was, but they said if I joined the club I got a free shirt, so of course I joined. I found out that the club was Relay for Life and we organized the event that happens once a year to raise money and awareness for cancer. I really loved being a part of this club and being able to help plan such an impactful event. It wasn’t until this year that I really noticed how big of an impact cancer has on people’s lives. It makes me so sad that I was almost oblivious to it and the amount of families it impacts before this past year. Even my own family has been impacted, but I just didn’t know a lot about it. Since going to college, I have learned so much about cancer. I found that I want to do literally anything I can do to help put an end to it or at least make people who have experienced it happier. During one of our relay meetings, they said something about donating hair and without thinking about it I knew I wanted to do it. Of course, there were many days where I thought “oh no I don’t want to donate it” or “gosh I am going to look so bad with short hair,” but the thought that someone else’s life was going to be a little bit better because of that outweighed every single thought that I had. I got to choose one person to cut my hair on stage before the hair dresser fixed it up. I chose two instead and it worked out perfectly. Alexa and Bree, two of my very good friends from school, cut off 8 inches of my hair to give to someone else. I am so glad that they were the ones to do it, even though Alexa let out a nice gasp after she cut it. I knew (or at least hoped) it was all going to be okay. That night there were 29 girls who decided to donate their hair and it was so amazing to see. Before taking a photo, a man came over to thank us. He told us that last year his wife received a wig and it made her so beyond happy. He also told us that she is no longer with us and that brought tears and so many emotions to me. I knew in that moment that even if I didn’t like my hair or it looked bad, I am so grateful I did just donate it and will not look back. The hair dresser who cut my hair after was amazing and so kind! She even put my hair into layers to make it look at it’s best. So, I would say that my hair does look good, I definitely like longer hair, but I think I am always going to donate it now to give it to someone else who needs it more than me. Cancer is something that impacts sooo many people, and if you were like me where I didn’t know much, I strongly suggest learning more about it and learning more about what you can do to help others. Even if you don’t think you can do anything, you can! In 2018, over 600,000 people died from cancer and over 1,700,000 were diagnosed with it. So many people struggle with the heartbreak, the bills, and the stress of cancer and you can do something even just by bringing a smile. I lost my grandfather to cancer and never was really able to meet him and experience the amazing man that he was and that makes me want to fight back against cancer even more. This past year, I lost the man who I would say took the place of my grandfather. He loved me through everything and became the grandfather I never got to meet. Visiting him in the hospital was heartbreaking, watching cancer “win,” it was honestly one of the hardest things I have ever went through. I still can’t believe that he is actually gone, but I believe that he is in a better place, in heaven with Jesus. I believe he has no more pain, but it makes me want to fight back against cancer even more! Cancer impacts so many lives and the little things can bring joy to not only patients, but their families too. Until cancer gets officially beat, we can make joy for those who need to experience it.
1 Comment
Kit
4/16/2019 10:35:52 am
Thanks Cassidy. You are such a kind, tender hearted gal.
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August 2022
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