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Sérina is still losing her hair for others
8 years old
The end result was a big success for a little girl and her“family”of volunteers with more than $3000 and 25 donations of hair for the Angel Hair for Kids program. “It was a very gratifying experience and one I›ve received much recognition for over the years, getting awards from a local or- ganization, from Angel Hair themselves at their first annual gala, and being written about in Kid›s World magazine.” Since then Constantineau-Booth has con- tinued donating her hair every couple of years when it grows long enough for cut- ting into a braid. In school she works hard at maintaining a 90-plus average in her courses and is also a member of the Extra- vaDanse Academy troupe. In dance I have to have long hair for my ‘ballet bun’, so I just wait and get my «dona- tion haircuts» right after dance season ends in June so it can grow again by the time I have to put it in a bun.” She keeps a journal to working on her creative writing skills and hopes someday to write the kind of stories like The Hunger Games that she enjoys reading now. Shewill also keep on donating her hair for others for as long as she can and that more people will join her in supporting Angel Hair and other programs like it. “I hope that other kids will be inspired by this story and will hold their own special and grand event. There is nothing like con- necting with everyone around you to ac- complish something worthwhile for some- one else.”
GREGGCHAMBERLAIN gregg.chamberlain@eap.on.ca
ROCKLAND | It all started 10 years ago with Sérina Constantineau-Booth try- ing to figure out how to earn a Brownie badge. She decided getting a hair cut might do the trick. It wasn’t any ordinary trip to the salon that the child had in mind. What she planned to do was have her long hair cut very short, the resulting braid donated to the Angel Hair project, and every step of the way re- corded and publicized to help promote a unique and unusual way of helping some cancer patients, both young and old, bet- ter cope with some of the trauma of their experience. “It sort of sucks not having your own hair,” said Sérina, “and having to wear those fake artificial wigs.” Now 16, Constantineau-Booth is a regular contributor to the Angel Hair project, hav- ing donated a long braid of her shorn locks to the program four times over the past decade. Angel Hair takes donations of ac- tual hair and uses the braids to make wigs for cancer patients, or others who have to take chemotherapy and radiation therapy as part of their treatment program. One side-effect of this type of therapy is a complete loss of hair on the head. For some adults, and many children, the emotional and psychological impact of this side-effect is devastating. When she was five, Constantineau- Booth had to “invent” an idea as part of one of her Brownie badge achieve- ments. That is how her connection with the Angel Hair program began. ”It started out small but it quickly grew into an event that took many hours and enabled me to go beyond my comfort zone and try many new things.” She made speeches at her school to pro- mote the program and get more people involved in it. She worked with her own school administration to bring in a guest speaker, a girl who lost her hair to the dis- ease, alopecia, and who told children and adults at the school what that meant to her and the comfort she gained from having a wig to wear that at least looked like real hair. “But the event and cause that is most dear to my heart and was most rewarding was the ‘Share Your Hair’ event I organized
16 years old
Since she was six years old, the past decade has seen Sérina Constantineau-Booth change her hairstyle on a regular basis for one primary reason. When her hair gets long enough, she has it cut and braided to give away for making natural wigs for people who have lost their hair as a result of chemotherapy and radiation treatment for cancer.
gan snipping away at the first strands of hair from the first child who volunteered to give their hair away for someone else to wear. “I helped plan the agenda and was the master of ceremonies for the event, a morn- ing-long activity held at my school. I made a speech about helping others, my principal spoke, the kids had their haircuts, our child enrichment worker at the school and I led the school in a song about helping others, and we had prizes and awards. The event re- ceived publicity from our local newspaper before, during and after the event because I contacted and spoke with a reporter to get his help in implicating the community.”
when I was eight years old,” Constantin- eau-Booth recalled. “I emailed principals of other schools and asked that they tell their students they were invited to take part in the event. I approached business owners in my community to ask for money and items that we could use as prizes to encourage kids to raise money. I asked my mother›s friends to donate their time at the event for everything from hairdressing to administra- tive work.” Everyone listened to this eight-year-old child and everyone took part. For the young Sérina, the work continued right up to the moment when the first pair of scissors be-
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