Councillor for Ward 93 plays her part for Cansa
KYALAMI – In support of those fighting cancer, ward 93 councillor Candice James recently cut and donated 37cm of hair from her own head!
According to the Cancer Association of South Africa (Cansa), each year about 100 000 South Africans will be diagnosed with cancer, and of these, six out of 10 will survive the disease.
Those diagnosed face a battle which affects their health and happiness, and appearance when chemotherapy causes their hair to fall out.
In support of those fighting such a serious illness, Candice James, who is the councillor for Ward 93, decided to cut off 37cm of her hair on 7 March to donate to the organisation which will be used to create wigs for patients who have lost their hair due to cancer treatment. James had her hair cut at Shear Hair Studio at the Kyalami on Main shopping centre.
“About four years ago, I cut it off for the first time,” James told Fourways Review.
“There are so many people fighting the disease, it is an easy thing for me to grow my hair and cut it off.”
The scissors were wielded by Nick Ferreira, the owner of the studio. He has had a hair collection drive all year in support of Cansa.
“A lot of my clients have suffered from the disease,” he said. “And I have lost clients to cancer. I think all salons should be doing this.”
The salon is collecting hair 25cm in length or longer, and those making these donations will not be charged for the haircut. About 14 people have come into the salon to donate in the past week or so, and the donated ponytails are then sent to Cansa.
“We use these ponytails to create wigs for cancer patients who have lost their hair due to cancer treatment,” explained Lucy Balona, the head of marketing and communications for Cansa.
“The wigmaker makes the wigs by hand, each wig takes more than one donated ponytail of hair. The wigs are then handed out upon request to any cancer survivor or patient and they can come in for a fitting at our Cansa head office in Bedfordview. Thank you to Candice who donated her ponytail for the second time. Thank you for the generous gift. It’s an incredible sacrifice to show our cancer survivors solidarity and support.”
James said even if you were unwilling to donate hair, the organisation also accepted cash donations. She also sent a shout out to those she knows or has known who faced the disease, including her brother Brett who lost his battle to the disease.
“There are so many people fighting this disease – my thoughts are with Brett, Tanya, Susan and Suzanne Clark, who is a councillor and is currently fighting [cancer],” she concluded.
Guidelines if you’d like to donate your hair to make wigs:
• The ponytail donated must be 25cm
or longer
• Hair should be clean and dry
• All hair, even if it is dyed or treated,
is acceptable
• When cutting your hair, please bind
both ends with an elastic band and
place in a zip-lock bag (this preserves it in the best condition while being transported to the wigmaker)
• Donations can be mailed to the organisation or dropped off at Cansa’s head office or care centres.
Details: www.cansa.org.za; info@cansa.org.za; 0800 22 66 22.
Related article:
TWEETS: Fourways Review team plays their part at the #CANSAShavathon at Montecasino
