I want to dedicate this blog to five very special people. They will know who they are, but for discretion’s sake, their names will not be listed. I want to dedicate this little article to these very special people because they have inspired me. They have shown courage, persistence, and grace in the face of unbelievable circumstances. These five people, my friends and family, have inspired me because they have all suffered from, battled against, and beaten a common enemy: cancer. The exact types have varied, as have the symptoms and struggles, but they are all an inspiration to me. Like most people I have made donations from time to time and walked in a race or two, but it never seemed like I could do much that would really make a difference. For quite some time I have wanted to do more, but, with my extremely limited time and fiscal resources, I didn’t know what more I could do.
It was in hearing a story about one of these five people that I found a new way to show my support. I have known this beautiful woman my whole life. For as long as I can remember she has worn her long blonde hair most of the way down her back. When she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer not so long ago, she decided to cut her hair before her treatments began. So many people I know, possibly myself included, would have made a braid and kept it in a box to remember the “before.” Some people might have bitterly left it all on the salon floor. But in the most graceful gesture I have ever heard of, she donated her hair for wigs for other cancer patients. Today, I am overjoyed to say that she has recovered nicely from her treatments.
It took a few months for this story to sink in and become an actual course of action for me. It was sometime last fall when it finally occurred to me that if she could make such a beautiful gesture, the least I could do would be to put my vanity aside for a few months to match it. I started growing my hair out about nine months ago. My plan had been to keep growing it so that my own hair would remain somewhat long after I made the donation, but somehow, last week just felt right. I made an appointment at the Republic Salon (http://www.republicsalon.com/) here in Athens, Georgia, and they gladly obliged. Here is the finished product....The person holding it was the very talented stylist who helped with this project. I only cut her face out for privacy sake.
The last thing I want is to make this blog about me. I did this to praise the people who have inspired me. After all, hair grows back. However, I did manage to get a cute new short "do" out of it, and I would recommend Republic to anyone in the Athens area. They were very helpful with the whole donation process, and I promised to include a picture of myself for curious friends and family.
There are actually several groups that take donations like this. You can choose the one that is closest to your heart, the one your salon is familar with, or the one meets your needs in terms of hair length. For more information, you can read the article "How to Donate Your Hair to Cancer Patients" at http://www.health.com/health/article/0,,20411427,00.html. It pretty much runs through the how-to's of everything you need to know.
I'm really excited to have been able to do this as a show of support for my brave friends and family. Actually, I'm really hoping that they like it since it was meant to be a surprise. But the truth is that people make donations like this everyday. In talking about my plans, I found out that several of my friends are on their second and third donation cycles. It's something that almost anyone can do, and when people ask you about the change, you can tell them about the brave people in your life.
Think about it...maybe today is your day to do a little something more.
I’ve clearly fallen behind in writing my blog, a fact that I’m sure my readers have noticed (Hi Mom!). This has been a summer full of changes and excitement, not to mention stress and acid reducers. Most of you guys know that I just finished school this spring and accepted a job in Georgia. I’m excited to be going back to the South, although I did enjoy spreading a little “southern comfort” around the Midwest for the last four years. This endeavor has meant trying to “finish” our Missouri fixer-upper (in as much as such projects are ever really complete). It has also meant putting that same house up for sale on a rather dismal housing market, packing our things, and moving some 12+ hours away. In the mean time and because I have vowed to use this blog to share information and insight rather than to blather on about my own feelings (27 is too young to write one’s memoirs), I thought I would share the valuable list of “must do’s” that my realtor ran me through to prepare our house for the market.
1. Keep everything clean. This one is something of a given, but that’s because it’s actually the most important thing you can do. Pick up your underwear, clean AND put away your dishes, dust and polish ‘til it hurts. In my realtor’s words…”it should look like a catalog.”
2. In keeping with the “catalog” theme, the next advice I received was to declutter. This one was a hard pill for me to swallow because one realtor’s clutter may be another person’s prized antique glass collection. Pride swallowed and chased with a shot, I decided not to take any of this personally. Taking down a few decorations (even ones you love) makes your house look bigger. Bigger is good.
3. Shed some light on the subject….One of the more surprising pieces of advice I got was to replace all of the compact fluorescent bulbs (CFB’s) in my house with the old-school incandescent types. These, it turns out, are actually brighter than the more eco-friendly CFB’s , and good lighting is a big selling point. Being the eco-nut/cheapskate that I am, I freely admit that I packed up all the CFB’s and brought them with me to the next house.
4. The other side of the lighting argument is that some realtors don’t even turn on the lights when they walk into your house. Therefore, keeping all the window treatments open full tilt will provide natural lighting and make the house look larger without the flip of a switch.
5. When my realtor asked me if there was “something I could do” about my dogs, I was tempted to ask if there was something he could “do” about his kids….I refrained. Understandably, leaving your pets at home intimidates some people and will keep them from spending much time (if any) in your house. It’s best if you can take them for a walk or drive during planned showings.
6. As scary as it is to invite total strangers to come “check out” your house AND turn off your security system, it’s actually recommended that such systems get temporarily shut down to prevent accidental set offs and to stop constant chirping on the part of the alarm. Realtors and buyers alike tend to find constant alarm-type sounds disconcerting, and they are more likely to rush through the showing.
7. Keep the lawn and gardens tidy because your curb appeal is half the battle.
8. Make sure the house is well marked with the address so that it is easy to locate.
I hope that these tips will be useful to anyone planning to sell their house now or in the future. As for my husband and I, we have gone on to settle in a slightly larger rental near Winder, Georgia. It’s been a mixed bag of extra space, great views, and renters’ remorse, but that’s a blog for another day. I guess that’s it for now, but it goes without saying that if anyone out there is looking for a tidy little three bedroom in central Missouri, I know one that is priced to sell!
It took a few months for this story to sink in and become an actual course of action for me. It was sometime last fall when it finally occurred to me that if she could make such a beautiful gesture, the least I could do would be to put my vanity aside for a few months to match it. I started growing my hair out about nine months ago. My plan had been to keep growing it so that my own hair would remain somewhat long after I made the donation, but somehow, last week just felt right. I made an appointment at the Republic Salon (http://www.republicsalon.com/) here in Athens, Georgia, and they gladly obliged. Here is the finished product....The person holding it was the very talented stylist who helped with this project. I only cut her face out for privacy sake.
The last thing I want is to make this blog about me. I did this to praise the people who have inspired me. After all, hair grows back. However, I did manage to get a cute new short "do" out of it, and I would recommend Republic to anyone in the Athens area. They were very helpful with the whole donation process, and I promised to include a picture of myself for curious friends and family.
