Yesterday I was doing some research on wigs for cancer patients, regarding my friend who is losing hers. Naturally Locks of Love came up frequently and so I started looking at the info and was sickened to find out that LOL rarely gives wigs to children with cancer. Most (90% from what I read, according to this 2002 data) wigs and hair pieces that are given through LOL of are given to children with Alopecia or trichotillomania, that hair pulling disorder. AND according to LOL, which has been around since at least 1997, as of today, they have only donated 2,000 wigs and hair pieces to children. What happens to ALL the bajillions of pounds of hair they receive daily, weekly, monthly, if it is not being used to make wigs for children? Well… they sell it. That sucks. I know SO MANY PEOPLE who have donated hair through LOL and they were always so excited that their hair was going to be used to make wigs for kids with cancer and it isn’t the truth. I hoped that after reading that innitial article from 2002 to find that since then things have changed, but after going to the Locks of Love website I found it to be true. The organization was started by a woman who’s daughter suffered from alopecia and it even says on their site that hair is used to make hair pieces for children with LONG TERM HAIR LOSS. I just think it is so unfortunate that this organization has been promoted for something that it is not. I think that it is great that there is an organization that donates wigs to children with permanent hair loss, but it is unfortunate that somehow the idea has been spread around that it donates hair to kids with cancer.
