For the last year and a half, Judy Cawley has been watching her hair as it grows inch by inch.
Now hanging 15 inches in a ponytail, she’s ready to chop it off and donate to cancer.
“I’ve heard of shaving the head and that but I didn’t want to go quite so far, but when I heard they could use the ponytail I knew that’s what I wanted to do,” said Cawley who is donating her hair for cancer patients but is raising money for The Alzheimer Society of Alberta and the Northwest Territories.
Cawley remembers her dad becoming increasingly absent-minded and disorganized in his late 60s. She said he covered up his condition fairly well, until it got to a point where his lost sense of self and place was too obvious to ignore. He was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and cancer in his early 70s.
“He was diagnosed March 7 and 49 days later he passed away.” That was five and a half years ago.
She’s known for a while she wanted to do something to help the Alzheimer Society and when she heard about donating the ponytail she decided to run with the idea. Up until November 26 she’ll accept donations and whoever donates the most money, gets to cut off her hair.
“I’m wanting to get the whole town behind it because it does affect a lot more people than you think. It’s just not as talked about as cancer,” she said. “Even in the little time that I’ve started this (fundraiser) I’ve managed to talk to quite a few people who have been affected in one way or another by Alzheimer’s.”
Cawley will run a registered Coffee Break Nov. 26 at the Co-op mall inside the Nu Art Beauty Salon and Spa from 1 to 4 p.m. The coffee break is the Alzheimer Society’s major nationwide fundraiser where people gather in communities and make a donation in exchange for a cup of coffee. The money stays in that community or province to help support local programs or services.
Anyone looking for more information, or to obtain a pledge sheet, call Cawley at 403-505-8661.
