7yrs old Raiya Jessani: “I can grow my hair back, little girls living with cancer cannot”

My 7-year-old daughter Raiya taught me that you are never too young to make a difference.

I remember the day Raiya told me that she wanted to donate her hair to cancer; I was surprised and not sure if she really knew what this meant. Raiya loved her long hair, she has always had long hair, she sees it on her mom, her aunt, movie stars and Disney princesses; I am sure she equates long hair with beauty. Thinking that this was just a passing phase I ignored her request for a couple of months, but Raiya continued to ask her Dad Karim and I, how she could donate her hair. Finally one day I asked if she had thought about how much she would miss her hair when it was gone, to which she responded “I can grow my hair back, little girls living with cancer cannot”.

I could not believe how grown-up my little girl had suddenly become. Karim and I called the Princess Margaret Hospital right away to find out about where and how she could make her donation. We learnt about “Wigs for Kids” an organization that creates wigs for children living with cancer, and knew this was exactly what Raiya wanted. The next day we were off to the salon, Raiya donated 12 inches of hair. As she sat proudly in the hairdresser’s chair smiling from ear-to-ear, I could feel how happy and proud she was to be making a difference in another child’s life. Through this process I have learnt that while we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us what life is all about.

Raiya’s Mom, Salima Talib Jessani

Wigs for Kids — http://www.wigsforkids.org/