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Canfield sophomore shares his hair
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Neighbors | Submitted .Canfield's Sam Conner (left) and mother, Trina Pagano, were happy with his new haircut. Conner donated all of his hair to Wigs For Kids.
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Neighbors | Submitted .Canfield High School sophomore Sam Conner donated 17 inches of his hair to Wigs For Kids. The big chop was June 5.
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Neighbors | Submitted .After cutting several inches of hair from Sam Conner's (seated) head June 5, a Panache Salon stylist cut more off with hair clippers.
By SHAIYLA HAKEEM
What took more than five years to grow was gone in a matter of minutes.
Canfield’s Sam Conner donated 17 inches of his hair to Wigs For Kids, a 30-year-old nonprofit organization that works to return self-esteem to children who have loss their hair due to health conditions, burn accidents or medical treatments.
Conner said the last time he had his hair cut, other than a routine trim, was in fourth grade. Now a sophomore at Canfield High School, he wanted to change his image and go with a short, clean haircut.
Conner is involved in several extracurricular activities such as the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra and the high school wrestling and football teams. His long hair had become somewhat of a hassle to maintain so he decided it had to go.
Conner heard about Wigs For Kids through some of friends. He researched the organization and made the decision to put his hair to good use.
“I thought I should give it away because some kids could make good use of it,” he said. “I had pretty nice hair.”
The big chop was performed June 5 by a stylist at the Panache Salon on Boardman-Canfield Road. His hair was separated into sections and within minutes, was gone.
“As I sat there, I thought about if I would miss it,” Conner said. “But once it was off, I thought, ‘I like this.’”
The minimum hair length donation for Wigs For Kids is 12 inches, which Conner surpassed by 5 inches. The hair donations are used to make hand-tied wigs tailored to each child’s head. The wigs are specifically made to endure activities such as swimming and competitive sports. Each hair replacement system is worth an estimated $1,500 and are given to eligible children free of charge.
His father, Scott, and mother, Trina Pagano, are proud of his decision to donate his hair to Wigs For Kids. Pagano helped Conner package his hair and mail it to the nonprofit organization.
Scott said they loved Conner’s long curly hair, but the short hair style has its benefits.
“His showers have been cut down from 30 minutes to 10,” he said.
Conner is undecided if he will ever let his hair grow back to the length it was. In the meantime, he plans to wear it short.
“I think I will keep it like this for a while,” Conner said. “It’s a lot cooler on my neck and is easier to take care of.”