Donating hair to cancer patients and the journey of volunteers

Many women with charitable hearts in Ha Tinh City have cut their long hair, giving away a "human corner" to donate to cancer patients.

Love Connectors

Ms. Le Thi Viet Nga donated her hair to cancer patients.

One weekend morning, Ms. Le Thi Viet Nga (born in 1990, Dai Nai ward, Ha Tinh city) visited a hair salon on Ly Tu Trong street (Ha Tinh city). Unlike usual, today Nga did not go to the beauty salon, she cut her long, shiny black hair to donate to cancer patients. Accompanying Nga were her family members and colleagues who shared the same heart and noble gesture as her.

Today, Viet Nga and other hair donation volunteers in Ha Tinh City will receive direct consultation and haircuts from the "golden scissors" Tran Van Cao (born in 1997) from the 1900 Hair Salon system in Hanoi.

Tran Van Cao - the bridge for volunteers who want to donate hair.

Cao is from Thanh Sen, and used to be a famous barber in the “hair village” of Ha Tinh City. Wanting to develop his skills, a few years ago, Cao decided to move north and join the 1900 hair salon chain.

This hair salon chain is not only known for its highly skilled staff but is also famous nationwide for its volunteer activities of cutting donated hair and giving wigs to cancer patients at major hospitals nationwide.

Cao shared: “Previously, my friends and I only accepted hair donation cuts at salon branches nationwide. During the haircut process, I met many people from Ha Tinh and Nghe An who traveled hundreds of kilometers to Hanoi just to donate their hair and then return. That made me feel extremely precious and touched. This time, when I received information that some people wanted to donate their hair, I connected with Ms. Viet Nga's group and arranged my work to go to Ha Tinh to directly cut hair and receive everyone's affection."

Ms. Viet Nga registered to donate hair and cut her own hair to give to cancer patients.

Viet Nga is a union officer with many years of experience working at the People's Committee of Dai Nai Ward (Ha Tinh City). With the enthusiasm of youth, the courage and responsibility of a union officer, Viet Nga regularly participates in movement activities and volunteer work. That is why, when she accidentally found information about the call for hair donation for cancer patients through Tran Van Cao's tiktok channel and the 1900 hair salon system, Nga immediately came up with the idea of ​​connecting people with the same wish. And the hair donation activity in Ha Tinh City was carried out very meaningfully.

Hair of love

Cutting off her long hair that she had nurtured for many years, Viet Nga shared: "As a woman, who doesn't love and value her hair, but if every time I cut my hair, I can bring hope and encouragement to cancer patients, then I am very willing."

Ms. Le Thi Na (sister Viet Nga) also joined the charity trip with her sister.

From that wish, Viet Nga mobilized her younger sister, Le Thi Na (born in 1993 - employee of Viettel Ha Tinh branch) to accompany her on this charity trip. Like her sister, Na has thick hair with silky waves, which any girl would envy.

“At first, when my sister told me about her plan to donate her hair, I was a bit hesitant about whether short hair would suit me or not, but after learning about the concerns and difficulties of cancer patients, I did not hesitate to register to participate in this hair donation program,” Ms. Na shared.

Ms. Le Thi Tinh was emotional next to the donated lock of hair.

The story of Ms. Le Thi Tinh (born in 1971) impressed us and made us appreciate her heart and noble gesture even more. Coming to the hair cutting program, Ms. Tinh held in her hands two long locks of hair tied tightly, with names carefully written on them. She said that they were donated hair from Ms. Nguyen Thi Van Anh (Ms. Tinh's daughter - currently a medical student in Hanoi) and Ms. Nguyen Thi Hong Men (Ms. Tinh's daughter-in-law - a teacher at Thach Binh Kindergarten - Ha Tinh City). Due to work conditions, both of them could not come to donate in person, so they cut their hair themselves and sent her to give to the program.

Ms. Tinh said: “My daughter has donated hair and blood many times to cancer patients in Hanoi, so I am quite familiar with this activity. However, in Ha Tinh, there are not many places to send my heart. When I heard that this activity was held in Ha Tinh City, I immediately registered to participate.”

Le Nguyen Hanh Nguyen, although only 13 years old, understands the difficulties of cancer patients and wants to share some of it.

It was even more touching when Mrs. Tinh's niece, Le Nguyen Hanh Nguyen (a student at Dai Nai Secondary School), only 13 years old, also followed her to donate her hair.

Sharing while waiting for her turn to get a haircut, Hanh Nguyen said: “This is the first time I have donated my hair to a cancer patient. I hope this will be a small gift that helps encourage patients to overcome their self-consciousness and the pain of illness. I will continue to grow my hair long to donate next time.”

Going beyond the usual desire to enhance their beauty, these women did not hesitate to give away a "human corner" of themselves with the wish to bring faith and hope to the less fortunate patients whom they have never met.

Giving a "human angle" to give more faith to those who are fighting against illness.

Journey of loving hair

Carefully tying each strand of hair and clearly recording the donor's name and address, Tran Van Cao said: "We will transfer the donated hair to the "Bright Tomorrow" Fund of the Central Cancer Hospital. The wig making department will classify the hair by length and quality to make each set. Usually, wigs are made in a common style, but if any patient wishes to make a favorite model, we will accommodate. The cost of making wigs for cancer patients is contributed by benefactors, so the wigs are completely free to the recipient."

Tran Van Cao meticulously works with the donated hair of Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Hien.

After completing the process of collecting the donated hair, Cao began the process of “reconstructing” new hair for these special “customers”. He enthusiastically advised the ladies on suitable hairstyles, meticulously cutting each stroke of the scissors to adjust the shape. Under the skill and dedication of the young barber, the hair was revived with a new, more youthful appearance.

Holding the thank you letter from the program, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Hien (born in 1993) shared: “I only thought about donating hair, but I didn’t think I would get a new, beautiful hairstyle like this for free. The donated hair was cherished and respected by the receiving unit, making us believe that it will definitely become a meaningful gift for cancer patients.”

Noble actions give women more faith and strength to overcome and defeat illness.

With cancer, hair loss during chemotherapy is probably a big obsession. Using wigs helps patients feel more confident, but not all patients can afford to buy a quality wig. A wig made from real hair is not only light, airy, and easier to wash than silicone hair, but also contains the hearts and sharing of the community, giving them more motivation to fight the disease.

Hairsalon 1900 donates wigs to cancer patients. Photo: Provided by Tran Van Cao.

“Every time we represent volunteers to give wigs to cancer patients, we can feel the joy shining in their eyes. Through social media, we hope to spread humane stories and noble deeds to the community to continue the journey of bringing faith and love of life to the less fortunate,” Tran Van Cao shared.

Where to donate hair?

People who want to donate hair to cancer patients can contact Hairsalon 1900's social network in Hanoi or through Mr. Tran Van Cao (Phone: 0918118687) for more details.

Hair donors can also send donated hair via delivery services to the address: Vietnam Breast Cancer Network - Hair Library, 122/11 Pho Quang, Ward 9, Phu Nhuan District, Ho Chi Minh City. Phone: 0961 924 300. See instructions on the hair donation process here.

Kieu Minh - Dinh Nhat

Source: https://baohatinh.vn/ve-ha-tinh/hien-toc-cho-benh-nhan-ung-thu-va-hanh-trinh-cua-nhung-tam-long-thien-nguyen/253128.htm