Dorcheus donates locks to honor cousin's memory

Hallett Elementary School student Taylor Dorcheus was doing more than just getting a haircut when she and her family went into Wispies Hair Salon, in Medical Lake, Jan. 2. She was going donating her hair to Wigs for Kids in honor of her cousin Charlie Pocklington.

Dorcheus' mission to give her locks to charity began when Pocklington, 21, who lived in the United Kingdom, was diagnosed with sarcoma - a rare cancer that develops in the muscle, bones, nerves and soft tissue. She was going to grow out and donate her hair to Pocklington, who had undergone chemotherapy treatment. Unfortunately, Pocklington passed away in June 2014, before Dorcheus could get her haircut.

Kerry Dorcheus, Dorcheus' mother and a paraprofessional educator at Michael Anderson Elementary School, said her daughter was "angry" and she was going to "cut her hair right then and there."

"After a moment, Taylor said 'Charlie will be proud if I donated my hair to another little girl,'" Kerry Dorcheus said.

Dorcheus was originally going to donate her hair to Locks of Love, a public non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children under age 21 suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis. However she changed her mind when she learned that the organization asks recipient families to contribute a portion of manufacturing costs to make the wig, depending on their financial situation.

After conducting some research, Dorcheus found Wigs for Kids, an organization that provides hair replacement systems and support for children who have lost their hair due to chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and other medical issues at no cost to children or their families, according to its website.

Although Wigs for Kids does not charge families for the wig, they rely on donations. Dorcheus set up a GoFundMe page in an effort to raise money to help the organization with the cost of making a wig, which is $1,800. She has raised $660 as of press time.

Dorcheus grew her hair to the required 12-inch length before she got it cut. Kerry Dorcheus said her daughter spent weeks preparing her hair.

"She was leaving the conditioner in for 30 minutes," Kerry Dorcheus said. "She's taken this to a whole new level. Taylor does not like short hair."

"I just remember what I'm doing this for," Dorcheus added as she sat in the chair, getting her hair cut.

As Dorcheus was getting her haircut, her mother took the hair that was already cut and tied it into six sections with each tie being a different color to represent a rainbow.

"Charlie loved rainbows," Kerry Dorcheus said.

After Dorcheus was finished with the haircut, Kerry Dorcheus and the rest of the family told her how proud of her they were.

"I'm proud of me too," Dorcheus said with a smile. "I know Charlie is watching me from above."

For more information about Wigs for Kids call (440) 333-4433, email [email protected] or visit http://www.wigsforkids.org.

To visit Dorcheus’ GoFundMe site, visit the link at the end of this story on the Cheney Free Press website.

Al Stover can be reached at [email protected].