The Long and Short of it A local family loses some hair so the less fortunate might have it. By Dave Mast
		Often times it’s a mother’s dream to see her little girls grow up, with long, flowing locks of hair cascading down their backs. Such is the case for Shane Snyder, whose girls, Lindsy and Laina have provided such beauty. But sometimes there are more important things in life than long hair. That’s why, when Snyder’s two girls decided to donate their flowing hair to Wigs for Kids recently, their mother gladly agreed, despite a shed tear or two on the shearing night. Wigs for Kids is a not-for-profit organization providing hair replacement solutions for children affected by hair loss due to chemotherapy, alopecia, burns and other medical conditions. “Lindsy did this two years ago and I cried then, too.” said Shane. “She had just turned nine at the time, and it was right when Karley Arnold (of Killbuck) needed a wig. She said, ‘Mommy, I’d like to do something to help Karley,’ and this was something she felt she could do.” In the end, Lindsy’s hair didn’t go directly toward Karley’s wig (they knew afterwards that it wouldn’t), but the thought of helping a friend in need was what really counted. Now Lindsy and her sister are at it again, and they even talked their aunt, Cheyanne Hites, into joining them in their endeavor at S&S Mane Attraction In Millersburg. “I told the girls if they would do it, I would do it,” said Cheyanne, who was donating 16-inches of hair, which is a very hard length to find for Wigs for Kids. The girls each donated 12 inches of hair. When your hair has been long for a number of years such as Cheyanne’s has been, you get used to it being there. Following the initial cut, Cheyanne described how it felt. “It feels very strange,” she said. Having been through the experience once already, Shane said that two years ago, it didn’t surprise her one bit when her daughter volunteered to cut her hair for someone elses benefit. “That’s just the kind of person Lindsy is,” said Shane. “She always wants to give. It’s who she is.” Now sister Laina has joined in, donating 12 inches of her blond hair that will give another child more self esteem while battling chemotherapy. Still, despite all of the good intentions and donating to a very worthwhile cause, it’s never easy going through a transformation like this when you’ve had long hair your whole life. “I’ve been growing my hair now for eight years without getting it cut,” said Laina, who, oddly enough, is 8 years old. Laina was actually the first to take a seat in Beth Schonauer’s salon seat, but quickly hopped out to allow sister Lindsy to do the initial honors. “I was kind of nervous, so I made my big sister go first,” said Laina. What will happen to the hair now? It will travel to Rocky River, Ohio in plastic bags, where it will be woven into wigs designed specifically for children. According to Christine Kett of the local Wigs for Kids Chapter, “We welcome donations of any kind, and continuously search for children we may assist in situations of hair loss. Our main purpose is to help children look themselves — alleviating additional stress due to lack of understanding among their peers.” According to Schonauer, S&S Mane Attraction has been donating hair to Wigs for Kids now for the past 10 years, with countless donations making their way to Rocky River. “We’ve been doing this for years, and still not that many people know about it,” said Schonauer. “You’d be surprised at how many people come in here and don’t know anything about it. They just want to get their hair cut off. Once we explain the Wigs for Kids program to them, most are more than happy to donate.” After all the cutting, styling and primping was over, and of course mom had again shed a few tears watching another of her little girls donate her golden locks for the first time, it was obvious that the family was still in the process of getting used to the new feel of LALH — Life After Long Hair. “It feels about the same as last time,” said Lindsy, “only it’s a little bit shorter.” “I guess we’re not too good for business here, coming in once every two years,” joked Shane. “That’s okay,” replied Schonauer. “It’s for a great cause.” For more information on Wigs for Kids, log on to their web site at: info@wigsforkids.org Or better yet, stop in at S&S Mane Attraction and make an appointment to make a cancer child’s day a little bit brighter and happier. S&S Mane Attraction is located at 97 West Jackson, Millersburg, The phone number is 330-674-2476. © 2004 Traveler Publications Next Article