Myerstown woman, 81, donates her long red hair for the 10th time, hopes to inspire others

Adele R. Argot, of Myerstown, never thought that at 81-years-old she would still have her red hair.

On Tuesday, June 25, she walked into the small the basement hair salon of Marion Oxenreider to have her hair cut. She'll take that hair and send it off through the mail to be matched with other donations and be turned into a hairpiece for a young person suffering from medically related hair loss.

She hopes that by spreading the word that donating hair is possible, more people, especially younger people, will begin to donate their hair.

"For me still having hair on my head, now it's thinned, but it's still primarily red, or orange, or whatever people want to call it, you know," Argot said, "To be able to pass that on to some little tot, or older child, depends on whom they choose, I'd like to make the people aware of it."

Oxenreider said that to her knowledge Argot is the only person she's cut hair for that donates their hair. She's been cutting Argot's hair for about 10 years.

Argot first learned of hair donation, as well as the people that it helped, through a newspaper article on Locks for Love, a nonprofit organization that collects donated hair and turns it into hairpieces for children suffering from hair loss.

Children's hair loss can come for a myriad of reasons, including alopecia, burns and cancer treatments.

Argot donated her hair for the first time in August 2001.

"I thought: I could do it," she said. "I think the impetus, and don't hold me to the details, is when my husband and I stopped in a visit to his aunt. I loved her dearly, we stopped in the hospital and there was a little girl who was very, very ill. It Just made me think about children and their needs."

Later, while teaching for Penn State, while shopping at a restaurant supply store for a nutrition course, a woman approached Argot complimenting the beauty and length of her hair. She explained the reason she was growing it out, about how she would be donating it, something the woman had never heard of before.

The young man working behind the counter at the store, whom Argot described as always wearing baseball cap, walked to where they were talking, ripped off his hat revealing to them that he suffered from alopecia, saying "I'm one of those people" that Argot was helping.

The interaction solidified her decision to donate her hair.

Tuesday was her 10th time donating hair, which has gone to various organizations over the years, including Locks for Love, Pantene Beautiful Lengths and Wigs for Kids, at different lengths each time.

This time she's donating it to Children With Hair Loss, a nonprofit organization that has provided nearly 10,000 wigs and care kits to children for free since 2000, according to its website.

She was surprised to see that she was able to donate 10 inches this time around, remarking, "That's a few years of living and loving," after seeing the length that was cut.

More than anything, she would like for others to take her place in donating their hair, to know that others know that donating their hair is an option for people when they go to get it cut. Overall, she would like for people to think more about what they can do for others, especially when it costs them nothing.

"When I think of these children that have no hair, that can't afford to buy a hairpiece, I'm thinking that maybe if we can open the door for maybe two to three donors, we've done our good deed."

Argot was under the impression that she could be donating her hair for the final time, as her hair was beginning to change color, but she was pleased to learn that the organization does accept gray hair. She's excited for possible future donations.

According to the Children With Hair Loss website , donated hair must be at least eight inches in length, must be secured in a rubber band or ponytail holder and mailed to the organization dry and in a Ziploc bag. Non-chemically treated hair is preferred, but they will accept any hair in good condition.

Daniel Larlham Jr. is a reporter for the Lebanon Daily News. Reach him at DLarlham@LDNews.com or on X @djlarlham.

This article originally appeared on Lebanon Daily News: Myerstown woman, 81, donates her long red hair for the 10th time, hopes to inspire others