Choppin’ it for Charity

Choppin’ it for Charity from Chimp on Vimeo.

Usually when a coworker gets a haircut it wouldn’t be worth blogging about. But when our teammate Linda Wong decided to donate her locks to Wigs for Kids BC, a haircut suddenly took on more meaning. In addition to donating enough hair to make an entire wig for a young cancer sufferer, Linda also raised over $6,000 to pay for additional expenses not covered by standard medical plans. You can read about the beginning of her inspiring journey on her blog.

We’re so proud of Linda and the Chimp community who pulled together around her to support this amazing cause.

Wigs for Kids BC sent us a note expressing their gratitude:

When a child loses their hair it is difficult. They may be healthy enough to return to school but their lives have changed. Some kids and even some adults can be uncomfortable with side effects such as baldness. We have heard from so many kids and they all say that having the wig makes them feel the same as they did before. They are not looked upon as the “cancer kid” and their baldness is a question they don’t have to answer.

After about four years of providing wigs for kids who had lost their hair to cancer, the BC Children’s Hospital oncology department asked us if we could help them out in a couple of other areas as well. We are one of the only provinces in Canada that does not cover feeding supplies. Feeding supplies are pumps, tubes, formulas, etc. used when a child cannot eat normally but has left the hospital. The approximate cost of the feeding supplies is $1,200.00 per month but can go up to three or four thousand per month depending on what is needed. Many families with a sick child in the hospital are financially strapped. Someone has to be with the child daily so many times one parent must quit work. If they live out of town there are expenses such as hotels, food, travel, etc. and quite often the cost of feeding supplies are just too much. Many families have put second mortgages on their homes or maxed out their credit cards to pay for the feeding supplies needed to keep their child alive. Wigs for Kids BC helps support these families financially and we hear how grateful they are.

Thanks so much Linda, your contribution is HUGE and will really help BC kids live better.

You can donate to Linda’s giving group here.