Alexandra let go of her hair

GRAAFF-REINET NEWS - The most arresting feature of Alexandra Imrie's face is her hair. It is either worn in a thick plait that falls below her hips or hanging loose, which makes it all the more impressive.

So many people in Graaff-Reinet have always commented about her hair but now she has decided to give most of it away.

Alexandra, a 17-year-old Grade 11-learner from Union High, told Graaff-Reinet Advertiser she wanted to give her hair to the Graaff-Reinet Cancer Association for a while but initially, she was too scared to cut her hair.

"I've had long hair all my life for as long as I can remember. Hair becomes who you are but I realised that I needed to make a change. I needed to let it go. Maybe I became too attached to it so that's why I decided to let it go."

"I had 15 centimetres of my hair cut off two years ago but this time around I decided to go bigger."

She went to Megan Kemp, from Final Touch, who was very professional and went out of her way making Alexandra feel at ease with the big step. A whopping 70 cm - more than double the length of a normal school ruler - were taken off.

"It was a big deal for me after getting used to long hair. But grooming my hair properly was time-consuming and it was also getting a bit heavy, like an anchor, so that made the decision easier. I also wanted to get my hair healthy going into the new summer season.

"Now I don't take so much time with my hair so, all in all, it was a good change. Even though I was a bit nervous about the outcome, I was inspired to do it for a good cause. I felt so proud afterwards knowing that it could be turned into a wig for people with cancer."

When people undergo chemotherapy, which is administered to treat cancer, the treatment can cause hair loss. That's why a lot of people with cancer either are bald or wear a wig. And wigs are expensive.

Hanntjie Pieterse, Head of Patient Care at the Graaff-Reinet Cancer Association, said Alexandra's story is so inspiring. "We feel privileged and are thankful to be the recipient of Alexandra's hair, which will be put to good use and certainly bring joy into the lives of people that suffer from cancer. This is an unselfish act to give something so dear and personal from yourself to someone in need.

"A lot of times, though, we lose motivation or find ourselves caught up in other things. It's easy to lose sight of why we need to help when the problems we can contribute to solving don't affect us. Alexandra's good and unselfish act shows that she is committed to making a change."

The world needs more people like Alexandra.

Alexandra Imrie minus 70 cm taken off her wealth of hair. Her hair will be donated to the Cancer Association of South Africa's Port Elizabeth branch to be turned into a wig for a cancer patient.