Locks of Love: Another Form of Stewardship

By Ethan Lyle, grade 12

In the summer of 2006, I was struck with a curious inspiration. I had received many comments about my hair getting very long from fellow classmates in the final weeks before school ended that year. The vast amount of time spent in halcyon relaxation in the comfort of my home when school ended got me thinking about my disheveled appearance. Was it possible to make something good come out of my untidy hair? In retrospect, it was probably my internship with an oncologist the year before that sparked what would eventually become one of the most demanding commitments I had ever endeavored to accomplish – donating my hair to Locks of Love. I knew that many sicknesses in the world, or their required treatments, caused their victims to go bald. My hair was already of a considerable length, and I figured it would not take me very long to grow it long enough to be able to donate it. Even though this was an atrocious miscalculation on my part, it turned out to be one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life so far! It would be the summer of 2007 before I had my hair cut again. In fact, it was just a few days before the start of my senior year when I finally reached the required length of 10 inches. It was a great achievement, but I know that I wouldn’t have gone through with it at any other school. At some schools, stringent and cavalier rules on dress code would not have allowed me to have that kind of hair style. At other schools, I would have been criticized or judged because of my appearance. At AIS, however, I was neither criticized nor judged. I never once felt uncomfortable with what I was striving to do, as even the jokes made were friendly ones amongst good friends. I had the support of friends, teachers, staff and parents. In short, I felt that my efforts were accepted and supported by the entire AIS community. In addition to helping someone in need and discovering something about myself, there is another, less publicized lesson that I took from this experience. Though I have not come close to experiencing the roiling effects these diseases have on peoples’ lives, I was granted a very narrow insight into the difficulties they face. For a boy, having such long hair was not always comfortable outside the AIS community. The mere fact that I looked different was enough to earn the occasional sideways glance or harsh comment. My unorthodox look, albeit due to an abundance of hair rather than a lack thereof, helped me to understand that many have these unfavorable conditions forced upon them. In this regard, the Locks of Love program also taught me a valuable lesson about life. Looking back on it, I am very proud of the postcard I received from the Locks of Love program that was sent to me after I donated my hair to their organization. Though I hardly perceive myself as the vanguard of the Locks of Love program at AIS, I still see a unique and remarkable opportunity to propel forward the concepts of stewardship and understanding into our community. I would encourage anyone who finds this endeavor to be an honorable one to consider the possibility of participating. After all, it is a simple way to help individuals who are in unfortunate situations, as well as a chance to grow and mature as a person. For more information on Locks of Love, visit www.locksoflove.org.