Recently I made the decision to cut off my reasonably long hair. It was a scary move, some would even say risky. I have never had short hair. Doing it, I knew I did not have the right to be scared. Why? Because, according to the Canadian Cancer Society, two in five Canadians will have a cancer diagnoses and nearly 200,000 will be diagnosed each year, with that number growing. Many of these men and women will lose much or all of their hair through their treatments to remove the cancer or simply to give them more time to live.

They will also need to lose a lot more than their hair. So, yes, cutting off a large amount of your hair is scary, but, losing it all while fighting for your life is a given. There are many reasons to donate your hair.

1. It takes eight to twelve pony tails of hair to make a wig

That is eight donations for one wig. Eight donations for one woman or man. The more people that donate, the more people that can get a wig.

2. You are changing someone's life

Receiving a real wig helps many women with the process of cancer. They have had so many life-altering events, but receiving a wig is what many say "helped them feel like themselves again."

3. Your hair will grow back

Within a year, your hair will be fairly long again and it won’t even be like you ever cut it! However, it will take the cancer patient much longer, if they ever can grow hair again.

4. Someone will get to love your hair as much as you do

With traditional wigs that are made of fake hair, you cannot curl or straighten the hair. You do not have the ability to do what you want with your hair. This can give these women, who have lost so much, a feeling of normalcy. The ability to style your hair seems small and maybe even annoying at times, but when you can’t do it anymore? It becomes a missing piece.

Donating your hair is a big decision and if you do not feel ready for the jump, then do not cut it. Only do what feels right for you!