Local Teen Grows Pony Tail For ‘Wigs For Kids’ Organization
Posted
Carol Anders-
It took 15-year-old Rachel Dempsey nearly 18 months to grow out her hair to a length for donation for Wigs For Kids.
The not-for-profit organization asks for hair pulled into a pony tail or braid of at least 12 inches so that it has plenty of hair to weave into wigs for children who have lost their hair due to medical conditions or treatments. Hair loss replacement systems are given free of charge to children with who experienced cancer, burns, alopecia, trichotillomania and other causes.
Dempsey said she saw firsthand how a wig could change the way people feel about themselves when they experience a hair loss.
She said, “I watched two women who had undergone cancer treatments that caused their hair to fallout. When they were able to wear a wig, it made them stronger. They both taught children’s church lessons for many, many years at First Christian Church, so I knew a donation to kids was perfect.”
Dempsey said she was very close to her grandfather, Arnold Dempsey, and her father’s close friend, Brooks Butler, who both died from cancer.
“It was hard to watch my grandpa ill for many months before he died and just as hard when Brooks passed away within a few weeks of his diagnosis,” she said.
Christy Summers, of Design Concepts, made sure Dempsey’s hair met all the criteria before she made the first cut. Summers explained that the salon prepares the hair donations and sends them to the Ohio organization for clients.
Dempsey is the daughter of Edward and Audrey Dempsey and a freshman at Lakeland Christian Academy.
