My Pandemic
Thanks to COVID-19,
s of late June, I had not been to a hair
stylist since April 2019.

* Insert horror scream here *
I know. I know. That is bad. Don’t @ me.

I have some friends that religiously go every
six weeks. I say, good for them. That’s awesome.

For me, it is just harder. I tend to always put
everyone else above myself. Kids. Husband. Dog.

Cat. Friends. Neighbor. Extended family. You get
the idea.

This winter alone, my son was involved in four
sport activities while my daughter was taking three
dance classes. But I made a promise to myself.

Before the early April start of my son’s spring
baseball season, I would go get my hair cut because
I needed multiple inches taken off.

And then COVID-19 shut down the country.

In the months that followed, we quarantined
like everyone else. Only going out to get groceries
44 WashingtonFAMILY AUGUST 2020
every two weeks. Washing our hands after
getting the mail. Trying to teach our kids through
distance learning.

Throughout this time, my hair continued to grow
(although I probably lost a fair amount to pulling
it out during distance learning—insert another
scream here). I figured when salons started opening
up, I’d get about 6 inches cut off. However, I had no
plans to run there the moment they opened back up
in May. They were going to be super busy.

In mid-May, I saw a picture of actress Jamie
Lynn Sigler in a magazine holding up a long braid
of her own hair that she had decided to donate to
a nonprofit. I’ve been a fan of Sigler since her days
on “The Sopranos.” I thought it was really amazing
that she donated her hair, and I couldn’t stop
thinking about the picture. Then it hit me. If I was
already planning on a sizable haircut, why not just
add a few more inches to the total and donate my
hair like Sigler?
I began researching the best places to donate
hair. I am a cancer survivor, so I wanted to give to
an organization that supports young children facing
the disease. I very vividly remember the prospect



Haircut
BY GINA GALLUCCI-WHITE
I donated my hair
JASMINA81 / ISTOCK / GETTY IMAGES PLUS
of losing my hair to chemotherapy and I wanted to
help others in the same position.

Some nonprofits wanted a minimum of 12
inches. Others can’t take hair that has been
colored. In my research, I also found that some
nonprofits charge families to make child wigs or
sell some of the donated hair to private companies
which I was completely against. In the end, I
decided to donate to Children With Hair Loss, a
Michigan-based nonprofit that supplies wigs to
children and young adults facing medically-related
hair loss. They only required a minimum of 8
inches of hair for a donation and provide wigs to
recipients for free.

As temperatures started to climb into the 90s
in June and our regular pool remained closed, I
decided to make my appointment at my Frederick
salon. Although I was very sure of my decision, I
couldn’t help but be nervous the morning of my
appointment. Throughout my life, the largest
haircut I had ever had was probably 3 inches. Now
I would be going from having hair that reached to
around my belly button to hair that was shoulder
length. When I told my stylist
about wanting to donate my
hair, she divided my hair into four
different sections, measured out 8 inches
by marking the distance with a rubber band and
chopped the hair off with a few quick cuts. My
mouth flew open as she cut off the first ponytail, but
she couldn’t see because I was wearing a mask.

My initial feeling was shock but I shortly,
thereafter, felt a lightness and not just because a
huge chunk of my thick hair was now gone. I was
finally taking care of myself. I was finally out of the
house by myself after months of quarantine, and I
could picture a child putting on a wig with my hair,
excitedly looking in the mirror.

For those of you that have not made it to the hair
salons yet due to pandemic shut downs, perhaps
consider delaying the appointment a little longer
and donate your hair to a worthy nonprofit.

You will feel great afterward. T
Gina Gallucci-White is a Frederick County mom,
writer and reporter for several local and national
news outlets.

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