Hearts don't come much bigger than 12-year-old Hannah Williams'.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
The Tenambit Public School student who has bilateral cochlear implants and who has suffered the hair loss condition alopecia, has recently taken the brave step of chopping off her long locks all in the name of charity.
The Year 6 student from Chisholm was born with a mild hearing loss and was later diagnosed with large vestibular aqueduct syndrome.
After a fall from a trampoline she lost all her hearing and as a result was fitted with cochlear implants when she was six.
When Hannah was seven she was diagnosed with alopecia, losing clumps of hair at a time.
Alopecia, also known as spot baldness, is an autoimmune disease in which hair is lost from some or all areas of the body, usually from the scalp due to the body's failure to recognize its own body cells and subsequent destruction of its own tissue. It often it results in bald spots on the scalp, especially in the first stages. In some cases, the condition can spread to the entire scalp or to the entire skin.
Hannah's mum Nicola Kelly said her daughter took it all in her stride. "When her hair started to grow back she said she never wanted to get it cut, but she did for a good cause this week," she said.
Hannah did not want to see other youngsters go through the ordeal she faced after losing her hair and made the decision to lose her locks and donate her hair to an organisation that makes wigs for children suffering alopecia and cancer.
With a minimum of 35 centimetres or more required, Hannah managed to donate 40 centimetres of her hair, enough her mother believes to make two wigs.
"Hannah has also started an Every Day Hero fund page with the aim to raise $500 for Variety - the Children's Charity.
“Wigs cost families up to $6000, lasting one to two years, so families can spend tens of thousands of dollars on wigs throughout a child’s youth," Ms Kelly said.
Hannah had her hair cut the day of her Year 6 farewell at Studio K Hair and Beauty Salon, Beresfield.
"I really thought she would change her mind at the last minute but she didn't," Ms Kelly said. "Hannah is a kid who just loves to get out and help others."
