A growing cause

Shouts of excitement were instead coming from the crowded cloak room in the main building, where an event two years in the making was taking place – a haircut.

“We were going to take him get a haircut before the school year of 2007,” said Bob Lanouette of his now 11-year-old son Alex. “He said, ‘I don’t want to cut my hair.’ At first we thought he just wanted to grow it out as a new style or something, but then he told us he wanted to donate it. We had no idea where this idea had come from.”

Alex explains, “I’ve had family and friends affected by cancer and I just wanted to give something back.”

The simple act of growing and donating his hair snowballed into a fundraiser for CHEO’s oncology ward. The last official tally had the total at just under $2,100, but attendees at ‘Alex’s Big Cut’ were still handing over cash to his mother Michelle Lanouette.

“I’m incredibly proud,” she said. “He got a lot of teasing. At Christmas, we were at the World Juniors and a nice older man kept telling him he was in the wrong line for the bathroom.”

Bob agrees, saying, “It was tough for him sometimes. He plays hockey too, and I had refs say to me, ‘Tell your girl to ease up,’ and things like that. But it’s amazing that he wanted to do this and that he followed through.”

Even Andrew Harper, Alex’s friend since the two were barely out of diapers, admitted to some good-natured teasing. “I called him ‘dudette’ a lot,” said Andrew with a smile. “But he’s going to help a girl or boy with cancer to have hair again. It’s awesome.”

Through Angel Hair for Kids, a lucky boy or girl will receive the honey-blonde locks that took two years to reach just past Alex’s shoulders. He wore a smile on his face throughout the entire afternoon, likely a mixture of pride and relief at being rid of his mane in the 30-degree heat of that day.

One of the biggest moral and financial supporters of Alex’s cause, said Michelle, is Capital Camps, run by Aaron Shaughnessy. Alex has been attending the summer camps for five years now.

“We’re very proud of him,” said Shaughnessy.

Norma Lamont, vice-president of community development for CHEO, was on hand to accept the donation. “To make a commitment of two years to raise a lot of money and donate hair is very special,” she said.