Sick girl inspires 'brave' hair chop
Tia Betteridge braved the hairdresser's scissors last week, cutting off her long hair to make a wig for a cancer sufferer.
Tia, eight, decided to have the chop after seeing a young girl with cancer in the paper.
Mum Jolie Wills said: "She saw a photo of a girl, still very pretty, but without any hair. She had her beads of courage on."
The picture stood out for Tia, who had a head of long hair. "I didn't feel very happy," she said.
After talking to her mum about what she could do, Tia decided to cut her hair to make a wig for someone like the girl in the paper.
Ms Wills said: "I was just really proud. I thought that was awesome. She's not vain but she's always loved [having] her hair long."
After considering her decision, Tuesday was D-Day. Ms Wills took Tia to Ginger Meggs salon in Christchurch who cut her hair for free.
Tia said she was a bit nervous when she went but there were no tears when her locks were lopped. "I was brave."
Story continued below.
PREPARATION: Tia Betteridge getting her hair measured up for the chop at Ginger Meggs hair salon.
Now she says her former ponytail is in a plastic bag, waiting to be posted. Her school friends were surprised by her new crop but thought it looked good, she said, and her older brother Caelum, 11, has been "very sweet and reassuring", said Ms Wills.
Ms Wills said: "She's a little fragile, it's been a bit of a shock I think. I think it's a lot shorter than she anticipated."
But Tia told the Selwyn Times anyone else thinking about cutting their hair for cancer should do it.
The family is now investigating the best way to donate Tia's tresses.
Ms Wills said they don't want to give the hair to an organisation that would pay for it and then charge for the finished wig - they want it to go free to a cancer sufferer.
They are considering Pantene's recently launched initiative Beautiful Lengths, which encourages Kiwi women to donate their hair for women undergoing cancer treatment.
The campaign is in partnership with charity Look Good Feel Better.
