Girl donates hair
Nine-year-old cuts off hair to help young cancer
victims
A nine-year-old girl has had nearly half a metre of her hair cut
off so she can donate it to make wigs for cancer victims.
Emma McArdle's generous gesture came after seeing an internet
cancer support page showing bald Disney princesses.
She said: "I told my mum I could give girls my hair and they
would be really happy."
Her mother, Donna, said that Emma saw the webpage and said,
"That's a shame, mum. They can have some of my hair because I have
loads."
She decided to get her hair cut and donate it to make a wig and
raise money for a local charity at the same time.
Emma, who is in P5 at Newmains Primary, near Wishaw,
Lanarkshire, also raised £710 from sponsors and was hoping to raise
even more today as part of a non-uniform day with her
classmates.
The money will go towards Les Hoey's Christmas Party, a charity
night for young cancer victims and their families. Mr Hoey tries to
make wishes come true for sick children by organising events and
celebrity visits.
Emma's locks were snipped for free and she was offered a free
future haircut by the salon in Motherwell. Her mother says she will
use this the next time she wants to dontate.
"She is going to let it grow and then do the same thing all over
again," said Donna.
"Emma is a wee softie. She puts everybody else before herself…
I'm really proud of her."
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Girl donates hair
Nine-year-old's sponsored haircut for Les Hoey: tireless
fundraiser who makes dreams come true for thousands of seriously
ill children
For thousands of seriously ill kids in the West of Scotland, a
grandad from Wishaw is their very own fairy godmother. Or should
that be fairy godfather? Or fairy godgrandfather?
Anyway, whether it's a sick child's dream to meet their sporting
heroes or get their picture taken with their favourite pop stars,
Les Hoey will make it happen.
And Emma McArdle from Lanarkshire has just raised hundreds of
pounds for Les's cause by getting people to sponsor her to cut off
nearly a metre of her hair.
Les's Christmas party at Motherwell's Fir Park is famous among
young cancer patients and their families all over Scotland. This is
no ordinary Christmas party. The kids never know which of their
favourite celebrities Les is going to produce out of the hat. Each
child gets a gift and sometimes they are spectacular.
The party is funded by Les's annual spring celebrity football
match which raises up to £5000.
This year, Les's team included Glasgow Airport hero John
Smeaton, boxer Joe Townsley, William Ruane of Sweet Sixteen and
River City, and a number of former professionals.
And Les has fixed it for young patients to enjoy all sorts of
experiences, from playing table tennis with Snow Patrol or dancing
with Katie Perry, to being Hannah Montana for the day or eating
Tunnocks tea cakes with The Wanted!
Les's daughter Shelley was 12 when she was diagnosed with acute
lymphoblastic leukemia.
"We were told to expect the worst and didn't think she would
pull through."
But after two and a half years of gruelling treatment, Shelley,
recovered and now, aged 28, works as a care assistant.
The first thing he did when Shelley was out of hospital was to
raise £1000 for the nuns who had put him up for the first six weeks
in accommodation in Glasgow.
That was the start. He was soon raising money for Yorkhill and
then for various charities including the Anthony Nolan Bone Marrow
Trust. He helped set up three bone marrow clinics, where people
could go to be tested as possible donors.
Over the years, Les has raised more than £200,000, but now
concentrates his efforts on arranging free tickets - with a value
now exceeding £1million - for youngsters and their families to
attend shows where they will meet their heroes.
He has helped thousands of people and he includes the families -
brothers and sisters and parents - as he remembers the effect
Shelley's illness had on his family.
Les is never off his mobile and ties up the house phone too!
"I went to New York last year with my family. I ran up a £200
mobile phone bill with people calling me for things," he said.
But Les doesn't grudge it. The day he stops is the day he
drops.
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