How Locks of Love broke my heart
So this is just my personal story that I wanted to share, I think mainly because it will make me feel better to tell someone who would understand.
Quite a few years ago, I was trying to raise money/awareness for cancer patients. Doing so, I cut off all of my BSL hair and donated the length to L.O.L. In addition, I shaved my head. Don't be mortified, it felt good to do it for a good cause. People sponsored me to shave my head and I ended up raising over $5000 that went to the Children's Cancer Research Fund. And... it happened to be an incredibly hot summer but I was the coolest chick around :).
It was maybe 6 months later that I found LHC. I loved it from the beginning. Then I ran across many members saying how they disliked this celebrity because they supported locks of love. I was in HORROR! I thought, "My god, these people love their long hair so much they won't even donate it to those less fortunate." But, then I stopped and thought, this isn't likely that these people would begrudge ANYONE something that they needed, especially children with cancer. So, I looked up locks of love on the BBB and read several articles... And I sat at my computer and just cried.
I discovered that they sell the hair and that very few if ANY donations are made into prosthesis for the kids. The "charity" made over 1.9 MILLION dollars from selling the hair. I felt sick to my stomach. I wasn't so upset that I lost my hair for nothing, I was upset that I was lied to and that my hair that COULD have helped a child was probably in a hair store somewhere.
I felt so betrayed and angry. I'm one of those people who can hold a grudge forever... I'm hispanic you know :). So I decided I wasn't going to take this sitting down. I wrote to every news media I could and tried to get them to do a story on L.O.L. I had a few successes, there was a piece in the times that I like to think I was partially responsible for. I then decided that I could help these kids in other ways.
I'm a phlebotomist. And I do toot my own horn, because while I am not good at many things, I am excellent at my job. I can stick you and be done in under 2 minutes and I promise you wouldn't have felt a thing. So I donated my time, I was getting the bloodwork done for these kids who were too weak to come in. I went to their houses and drew it.
So I guess in a way me getting so upset was productive. And I just want to say thank you to all of you for opening my eyes to the fact that even charities can be corrupt. I will continue to donate my time and I want to encourage all of you to love your locks by sticking em' up in a bun and donating your time :)
Thanks for listening everyone! I really do feel better for just writing it out.:cheese:
Re: How Locks of Love broke my heart
What a great, yet sad, story. My daughter donated her hair to LOL several years ago, when she was around 9. She was so proud of herself for helping kids less fortunate than herself. Then I joined LHC and learned that LOL isn't all it seems.
You are to be commended for giving so much of your time to kids in need. Good for you!
Re: How Locks of Love broke my heart
Thanks for that story! It's a good reminder. I was 'weasled' into giving away my hair to locks of love by a salon once (before I knew better - lol)....
Re: How Locks of Love broke my heart
That is just terrible. L.O.L. should be made to clarify what they do with the hair before they accept the donations.
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Re: How Locks of Love broke my heart
Thank you for sharing your story!
LoL has a hardcore following in my little town. At least once or twice a year there's a mass-shearing event for them at some salon or benefit event. There seems to be a lot of peer pressure involved sometimes, from what I've seen. One young girl decides to donate, who then guilts her BFF into joining her, and then both of them get their moms involved, and their coach's sister's roommate's niece... and so on.
The thing is, it's really personal for these people. Many of them have lost a friend or relative to cancer, and they feel like they're honoring their lost loved one's memory by donating their hair. They feel so fulfilled and uplifted by the thought of their personal sacrifice, their hard-grown hair going to help some poor little child... It makes me very sad, now that I've learned more about LoL.
Perhaps we need a little dose of truth in my town, as well. It's creepy though-- I think the LoL-love runs so deep here that I might just be personally attacked for speaking against them!
Maybe we need some anonymous truth-spreading. Yeah....
Re: How Locks of Love broke my heart
Quote:
Originally Posted by
mbaker223
I wasn't so upset that I lost my hair for nothing, I was upset that I was lied to and that my hair that COULD have helped a child was probably in a hair store somewhere.
You didn't lose your hair for nothing. I understand being upset that you were misled, but remember that you did help raise money and awareness. You did it to help people and I'm glad that there are kind, caring people like you.:grouphug:
Re: How Locks of Love broke my heart
Thank you for sharing your story. You should not feel disappointed in yourself, though, for you made a donation for a noble and just purpose. What YOU did was done with a generous, kind and giving heart, an indication of the wonderful woman you are. It's a privilege to know you and have you here with us!
As for the insidious inroads LOL seems to be mowing into the general population's consciousness, it just keeps rolling along. Has anyone seen the previews for the new series (HBO? STARZ?) featuring LOL? It's highlighting some of the individual cases of long hair donations and the specific child helped by the donation. I think it's a direct response to the rising swell of protest against them - but there will be even more of a push to have us all cut our hair for LOL.
There are many organizations that truly do wonderful work for those in need. Too bad they don't get the huge publicity that LOL has managed to garner for itself.
Re: How Locks of Love broke my heart
Quote:
Originally Posted by
mbaker223
I then decided that I could help these kids in other ways.
I'm a phlebotomist. And I do toot my own horn, because while I am not good at many things, I am excellent at my job. I can stick you and be done in under 2 minutes and I promise you wouldn't have felt a thing. So I donated my time, I was getting the bloodwork done for these kids who were too weak to come in. I went to their houses and drew it.
So I guess in a way me getting so upset was productive.
Bless you for this! :smooch: good phlebotomists are wonderful, but bad ones can make such a painful mess. I'm needlephobic and really appreciate gentle quick blood tests. I've ended up with huge bruises, even though I have good veins and no health problems so your skill with these poor children who have difficult veins and need multiple sticks must be so welcome, not to mention seeing them in the comfort of their own homes.
Re: How Locks of Love broke my heart
You know what, mbaker? You did something from the heart. You did it out of caring and love. THAT is something to put a smile on your face. Goodness tends to pay forward. I know LoL is misleading and I know you received a shock...BUT...don't regret that you have a good heart. That part, nobody can ever take away from you...not even for a good cause.
Re: How Locks of Love broke my heart
I encourage everyone who dares to mention LOL to me to actually do some research, and that is after I got duped and donated. I still remember the weight and thickness of the hair I cut off. Bet those people were just rubbing their hands with glee when they got it in the mail.
I feel bad about donating in 2005, but if nothing else I got to try short hair for a bit. (short being just about shoulders) I'm sort of annoyed because I don't seem to have the growth I did a few years ago.
My mission now is to educate about LOL being a sham organization.
mbaker: Bless you for being a good phlebotomist- my mom is a med tech and says a good one is worth her weight in gold. I have thick skin and always seem to get stuck with the ham-handed people just out of nursing school. I swear one day I am going to offer to stick myself- I can draw blood from animals.