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Local youth donates hair for wig
Mariska Buehler got a haircut last week, but instead of going onto the floor and into a trash can, she is donating her hair to Wigs for Kids.
“I think it would make them feel better and not be made fun of — it’s a big deal,” Mariska said.
The 14 inches of hair Mariska had cut last week will go towards making wigs for children suffering from hair loss because of chemotherapy, or a number of medical conditions.
“I thought it would be really good to donate my hair because a lot of people are struggling with hair loss,” Mariska said.
Jeffery Paul founded Wigs for Kids three decades ago after his 15-year-old niece, who was undergoing leukemia treatment, asked him to stop her hair from falling out. And although they cost approximately $1,800 to make, they are free to the children that need them.
Mariska’s dad, Mike Buehler said, “She took it upon herself to do that. She didn’t want to cut her hair and all of a sudden she wanted to.”
It took some time for Mariska and her parents to find an organization to donate her hair to which did not charge the recipients for the wigs.
“I don’t know how you could do that,” Mariska said.
Mariska, now 10-years-old, with aspirations of becoming an astronaut and going to Mars, with the exception of an occasional trim, she has been letting her hair grow out since she was 5-years-old.
“I think it’s a pretty good deal she thought this up on her own,” Buehler said. “It makes me proud that she is thinking of someone other than herself.”
Mariska is not without inspiration, however. She lost her cousin Brenda to breast cancer several years ago and in 2016, one of her classmates was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor.
Mariska’s hair and hair from other donors will be used to handcraft a custom hairpiece for a child in need.
For more information on Wigs for Kids, visit their website at https://www.wigsforkids.org/.