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On Saturday, May 2, four Florida Hospital Flagler Outpatient Rehab employees and one current Rehab patient chopped their long locks for children in need. They each donated at least 10 inches of hair to the Locks of Love organization, which will create hairpieces for children who need them.
“Two of our coworkers have family members who have recently battled cancer,” said Kay Southerland, Florida Hospital Flagler Outpatient Rehab Administrative Assistant. “In honor of their experiences, we all wanted to donate to Locks of Love, which provides hairpieces to children who have lost their hair due to medical conditions.”
“One of my patients, Margarita Alicea, overheard us talking about donating our hair,” said Britney Gray, DPT. “She had recently cut her hair and offered to bring it in so we could add it to our contribution to Locks of Love.”
Kelly Kowalczyk, a former FHF Rehab patient, is a stylist at Allure European Day Spa and Salon and cut each girl’s hair.
Locks of Love is a public, non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children suffering from long-term medical hair loss. Most of the children helped by Locks of Love have lost their hair due to a medical condition called alopecia areata, which has no known cause or cure. Others have suffered severe burns, or endured radiation treatment to the brain stem, in addition to many other dermatological conditions that result in permanent hair loss. The hairpieces Locks of Love provides to children helps restore their self-esteem and confidence, enabling them to face the world and their peers.