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WIRRAL WOMAN ’ S CHARITY HAIR CUT IN MEMORY OF MUM
Almost four years after her mum died from a rare form of cancer , Wirral woman Rachael Bruce is preparing to have her long locks chopped for charity .
She ’ s set to become a “ superhairo ” by donating more than 12 inches of hair to The Little Princess Trust . The charity makes real hair wigs , free of charge , for children and young people who have lost their own hair through cancer treatment . She ’ s also well on her way to raising £ 550 , which the charity will use to create a wig , including styling and fitting for the eventual recipient . It ’ s a fitting tribute to her mum Irene Swale , a retired nursing sister who ’ d spent her career working at Alder Hey Children ’ s Hospital .
“ As a child I was aware that I was lucky to be healthy and that some of the children mum looked after had lost their hair because of their medical conditions or treatment ,” Rachael explained .
“ Donating my hair in her memory seems a fitting tribute given that mum looked after so many poorly children . Even more so as one of the last meaningful conversations we had when she was in hospital was mum insisting that if she had to have chemotherapy she ’ d shave her hair off before it fell out .”
Irene , who was known by staff , patients and parents at Alder Hey as Brucie , was unfortunately too ill to undergo treatment . She had Waldenstrom ’ s Lymphoplasmacytic Lymphoma , a rare form of Leukaemia which was only formally diagnosed after her death in April 2019 . It affects around 350 – 400 people a year in the UK . In the US it has an incidence rate of only three in a million .
“ Mum had several blood transfusions while she was in hospital awaiting a diagnosis and so I ’ d considered donating my blood to help others but was unable to as my blood didn ’ t flow fast enough ,
I then found out about the Little Princess Trust making wigs for children and decided to grow my hair to donate instead . It ’ s now long enough to donate the 12 inches preferred by the charity . It ’ ll be a real weight off my shoulders once it ’ s cut as my hair is thick and heavy .”
Rachael will have her hair cut by her hairdresser friend , Debbie Edward-Hughes , owner of Salon 103 in Wallasey .
“ We had Debbie on standby to cut mum ’ s hair but unfortunately , she never came home . The morning she died one of the nurses checked which way her hair should be brushed , which was a lovely personal touch ,” Rachael said .
“ Hair for many people is an important part of who they are and a form of expression . That ’ s why the work of the Little Princess Trust is so important . I was always changing my hair when I was a child – from a short crop to a bob , to long and straight or the ultimate 80s hairdo , a perm . I can only imagine how devastating it could be for a young child to lose their hair .”
Rachael added : “ Mum used to joke that instead of following the trend for older women having a blue rinse , I ’ d have a pink rinse . So once my hair ’ s been cut , I ’ m going to have it dyed pink .”
To support Rachael ’ s fundraising see https :// justgiving . com / fundraising / rachael-bruce4 .
To find out more about The Little Princess Trust go to https :// www . littleprincesses . org . uk /
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