Locks of Love
A little more than three years ago, I met him. He was three, I was twenty. He barely had any teeth, but that never stopped him from smiling. He only had one leg, but that didn't stop him from being the mischievous young boy that he was. He had cancer, and so he lived each day to the fullest. His name was Cedric.
From the first time I met him, I immediately fell in love with him. He was my date every Monday afternoon. He was my valentine date that year. I bought him a new set of crayons and puzzles on that day.
He passed away almost two years ago. He was four then. I found out the day before I was due to represent Kythe for the TAYO awards. "How timely," I thought. Not that any time was a good time for one to pass away.
I struggled for many months after I found out that his family decided to bring him home and forgo the operation to take out the tumors that have spread to his liver from his bone cancer. I heard they tried out alternative medicine. And that his grandfather misses him. His heart breaks every time he sees Cedric trying to follow him around the house while hobbling with only one leg. It was truly a practice of learning how to let go.
I often wondered what it must feel like to be three and yet have to struggle with the reality of death and immense physical pain and discomfort. And it always makes me grateful to God that I never had to find out for myself.
---
Fast forward to 2008.
Many months ago, I decided that I was tired of having long hair. It was the longest my hair has ever been in my life. It came to a point when people started greeting me with "Ang haba na ng hair mo!" In fact, I realized that I haven't had short hair for more than two years!!
So I decided on that day that I was going to donate my hair to be made into a wig for a child with cancer.
Two years and more than 12 inches of my hair later, I've finally cut it off. I tied everything into a braid, cut it off, and will be sending it to Locks of Love soon.
Initially, I wanted to have a wig made locally so that I can donate it to a kid in Kythe, but I found out that made-to-order wigs cost a minimum of P15,000 pala!! So locks of love it was. Unless someone out there wants to help me make this wig a reality. I haven't really decided yet. In the meantime, I have a bag of hair in my room sitting around and waiting for me to make up my mind.
And for those who haven't seen me yet-- this is what I look like right now. My shampoo consumption has been cut down by more than half, my nape gets cold now from the air conditioning, and I hardly even have to brush my hair!!
This one's for you, Cedric. I miss you, little one.