Maddie is 6 years old and loves dancing and gymnastics. She likes to watch Kids2Kids on YouTube and watches hockey games with her family.
Maddie lost her hair due to cancer treatments, and really missed having it. That’s when her family turned to Wigs For Kids for help.
They applied to the Wigs For Kids Recipient Program, where children dealing with medical hair loss can receive a made-to-order hairpiece at no cost to the family. Wigs For Kids is able to provide these hairpieces free of charge to recipient families thanks to generous hair and financial donors. Her family can even apply for a new hairpiece each year, as long as one is still needed, up through Maddie’s 18th birthday.
Maddie worked with Barbara Paulo of Shear Xtreme in Massachusetts. Barbara volunteers her time with Wigs For Kids both as a Hair Donation Specialist harvesting ponytails for donation, and as a Certified Service Provider, working directly with our recipient families.
The first appointment between Barbara and Maddie centered around taking measurements for the hairpiece, to ensure a comfortable fit that would stay in place for an active kid. After selections were made for cap size, length, and color, her hairpiece went into creation.
Once Maddie’s hairpiece was ready, Wigs For Kids let the family know a special package was on its way. They brought the box to Barbara’s salon, and went through the contents together, seeing, feeling, and even smelling, as you can see below!
At the appointment, Maddie learned how to use her brush and all the maintenance products. Maddie’s mom shared that working with Barbara was a joy, “Barbara was wonderful, super attentive, and so kind.”
The styling appointment was meaningful for Barbara as well. She shared, “Sharing together a moment of joy with a child who received her new hairpiece is truly magical. That magic comes from her excitement about the whole experience, the hope of feeling ready for that first day of school and to feel more confident and shine a sparkle of beauty inside and out on that special day. So many ways to have fun and create new looks: ponytails, braids, curls and waves — endless style. The big finish — a thumbs up and a smile.”
As you can see, Maddie was thrilled to show off with her new look!
After the appointment, when we asked Maddie’s mom for an update, she told us she LOVES her new hairpiece and is elated it arrived before the first day of school!
Maddie’s smile says it all!
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.
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