The Pumpkin Queen Shares Her Crown

When Sarah Wentworth learned that chemotherapy treatments for a rare autoimmune condition might affect her hair, she made a powerful decision. Instead of focusing on what she was losing, she chose to focus on what she could give.

Through a hair donation to Wigs For Kids, Sarah hopes to help a child facing hair loss feel confident and uniquely themselves. Along with her donation, Sarah shared a heartfelt letter that reminds us that every ponytail we receive carries a story of kindness.

We are honored to share Sarah’s words.

To the Wigs For Kids Team,

My name is Sarah Wentworth, and I write from my historic country home on the coast of Maine. This year I was diagnosed with Cold Agglutinin Disease, a rare autoimmune blood condition, and have begun chemotherapy at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. When I understood that treatment might change things for my hair, I decided I would not simply lose it — I would give it away, on my own terms, to someone who would treasure it.

I chose Wigs For Kids because children facing frightening things deserve every bit of beauty the world can offer. I know something about facing frightening things. I wanted a young person to wear my hair and feel like themselves — or perhaps a version of themselves they have always wanted to be.

The cut was done by Mrs. Annette Nager, owner of Shear Artistry in Boothbay Harbor, Maine — my stylist and, in the quiet way that comes from years of trust, a true friend. She prepared my hair with great care before a single snip was made, and the short style she gave me was a gift. Whoever receives this hair should know it was tended by loving hands.

I am also enclosing a pumpkin tiara. For five consecutive years I served as Queen of the Damariscotta Pumpkin Festival — a beloved autumn celebration here on the Maine coast — and I wore that tiara with complete and unironic joy. This year, I stepped back from the crown, though I hold the role and the festival dear to my heart. This tiara deserves a head that will wear it with that same wholehearted delight. I hope it makes a child feel like royalty. Because they are.

Additionally, enclosed is an insert from a prior year’s festival so that whoever receives this package can glimpse the world from which the hair and tiara came. These things were not handed off from a place of loss. They come from a life fully lived, from a woman who was queen of something ridiculous and marvelous and loved it.

Thank you for the work you do. Keep up the good fight and so will I.

With affection and hope from the coast of Maine,

Sarah Wentworth

At Wigs For Kids, we believe every hair donation is an act of compassion. Sarah’s donation reminds us that hair can be so much more than strands gathered into a ponytail. It can carry confidence, encouragement, and connection from one person to another.

Thank you, Sarah, for sharing your story, your beautiful hair, and a bit of Pumpkin Queen magic with a child who may need it most. We wish you strength and healing on your journey, and we are honored to be part of your story.

More Than a Hair Donation

For children facing hair loss due to conditions such as alopecia, lupus, cancer treatments, or other medical challenges, hair loss can affect much more than appearance. It can impact self-esteem, confidence, and their sense of normalcy during an already difficult journey.

Hair donations are vital for our mission. Each ponytail donated helps us create high-quality, durable hairpieces that allow children to feel more comfortable, confident, and like themselves again. Financial support and hair donations make it possible for Wigs For Kids to continue providing these services to children and families at no cost.

Thank You, Pumpkin Queen Sarah

Together, through hair donations, financial contributions, and community support, we can continue helping children across the country feel comfortable, confident, and ready for their own adventures.

Your Support Matters

While hair donations like this make confidence-boosting hairpieces possible, financial contributions are equally critical. Monetary donations help fund the meticulous creation of each hairpiece, cover materials and production costs, and ensure that children receive their hairpiece at no cost to their families. For many children facing medical hair loss, this support provides comfort, confidence, and a sense of normalcy when they need it most.

By choosing to give, whether through hair, financial support, or both, you help ensure that more children get to experience hope, joy, and confidence.

At Wigs For Kids, we are honored to witness stories like this — where caring individuals come forward to create new opportunities for some incredible kids.

The Impact of Hair Donations

Thanks to support from both hair and financial donors, we helped more than 1,000 kids in 2025 receive free wigs, and we’re on track to help even more children in 2026!  

Start a fundraising event in your community, inspire others to grow and give, and help us reach even more kids this year!

Every contribution, whether hair or funds, helps make a difference in the lives of children who deserve confidence and comfort.

Meet Our Kids!

If you are a stylist interested in helping our children, please click here for more information.

If you are interested in donating your hair, please click here for more information.

For recipient stories, please click here.

For more ways to support Wigs For Kids, please click here.