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47 °F Forecast | Road Cams Tuesday, May 11, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend October 23, 2003 Anna Olsen of Medford holds the hair that her father cut from her head 77 years ago. She�s donating it to Locks of Love, an organization that makes hairpieces for children. Her granddaughter, Danielle Wheeler, plans to donate her tresses as well. Mail Tribune / Jim Craven Locks of Love Great-grandmother donates to charity tresses clipped during the Coolidge administration By JONEL ALECCIA Mail Tribune For 77 years, Anna Olsen has saved the auburn ponytail snipped from her head when she was 9. At 86, the Medford great-grandmother admits she’s never been sure why she kept the hair through several moves across the country and all over the West. Until now. This week, Olsen will donate those long-trimmed tresses to Locks of Love, a Florida-based agency that makes custom wigs for ill children who’ve lost their hair. Advertisement "I would feel very humble if someone could use it," says Olsen. "It means something to me because I’ve had cancer, too." Olsen’s donation will be the oldest hair ever sent to the agency, Executive Director Susan Stone says. "We’ve had hair cut in 1929, but this beats that," Stone says. There’s no problem accepting it because hair is hair, no matter when it was cut. "Hair doesn’t get old," explains Stone. "It’s dead, so it doesn’t carry any diseases." Olsen’s hair, along with tresses snipped from her granddaughter, Danielle Wheeler, 38, and a family friend, Megan Jones, 12, will go to the nonprofit agency that has made more than 1,000 hairpieces since 1997. Olsen and Wheeler got the idea for their donations from Megan, who says she just wanted to help other kids. "My hair is getting pretty long and I just thought that maybe it would be nice to give it to the children," she says. Like Olsen’s hair, Megan’s locks are long and auburn, which is particularly useful, Stone says. "We need long, red hair," she says. "It takes 10 ponytails to make a hairpiece and long, red hair is the hardest to get. When we get specific orders, it’s usually long blond or long red." Most of the children helped by Locks of Love are girls under 18 who suffer from alopecia areata, a genetic disorder that causes total loss of bodily hair. Others have suffered severe burns, endured radiation treatment to the brain stem or been diagnosed with a variety of dermatological disorders. The hairpieces, which would retail for about $3,000, are custom-made, vacuum-fitted prostheses that require no tape or glue. Olsen didn’t even know Locks of Love existed until her granddaughter mentioned it. But it seemed a perfect place to send the hair. The girl teased as "carrot top" doesn’t really remember why her father, a St. Paul, Minn., truck driver, insisted she cut her hair. "My little sister was a new baby and there probably wasn’t a lot of time to do my hair," she says. She doesn’t even remember the actual cut or how she felt about it. "I only know I sat so still that I fainted because I was afraid if I moved, my father would do a poor job," she recalls. Now mostly gray, Olsen has kept her auburn hair wrapped in waxed paper since Calvin Coolidge was president. She doesn’t mind parting with it, particularly if it helps a young child and, perhaps, inspires others to donate to Locks of Love as well. "This means a lot," says Wheeler, Olsen’s granddaughter. "I think grandparents teach good lessons." Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail [email protected] Wigmaker always needs more donations of hair The Florida-based Locks of Love gets about 200 pony tails in the mail every day, but the agency is always seeking more donations of hair, Director Susan Stone says. "A great percentage of the donations are too short or bleached and we can’t use them for hairpieces," she says. Hair that’s unsuitable for hairpieces is sold to dollmakers for fair market value. To participate, potential hair donors should follow these instructions: Donated hair must be 10 inches long, and preferably 12 inches long. It must be clean, dry and bundled in a pony tail or braid. Gray hair and hair damaged by chemical processing is not usable. Hair must be placed in a plastic bag and mailed in a padded envelope. Hair should be mailed to: Locks of Love, 2925 10th Avenue N., Suite 102, Lake Worth, FL 33461. For more information about Locks of Love, visit the Web site www.locksoflove.org or call (561) 963-1677. Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times