Brown helping disadvantaged children through Locks of Love

By the time she reached 20 years old and began her sophomore year of college, Moneka Brown of Campbell, Mo., had been diagnosed with a life-threatening brain tumor, underwent two major surgeries, lost her hair, and had to learn to function both mentally and physically all over again as if she were a young child.

During those difficult times, she never imagined she would be where she is today or that she would have voluntarily taken scissors to her long beautiful locks of hair, which took years to grow out following her tragic experience.

Brown recently sheared her brunette tresses for a program called Locks of Love.

"The experiences that I had following the diagnosis of my brain tumor were ones that I will never forget. They will stay with me forever," Brown said. "I know what it is like to be a woman who has no hair and not by choice but because of an illness. Because of my situation when I was younger, I wore a wig and completely understand how important it can be for most young people going through similar situations, such as cancer, to have that option."

Unfortunately, not everyone can afford to buy natural looking hair replacements, which is where the Locks of Love program comes into play.

Brown said that she always knew that she wanted to give back in some way. After hearing so much about Locks of Love, a public non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children under age 18 suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis, she knew that it was something she wanted to participate in.

"I have had long hair for a really long time now," Brown said. "I researched the program to find out exactly how it works and immediately knew it was something I had to do."

Locks of Love meets a unique need for children by using donated hair to create the highest quality hair prosthetics.

According to the organization, most of the children helped by Locks of Love have lost their hair due to a medical condition called alopecia areata, which has no known cause or cure. The prostheses Locks of Love provides helps to restore children's self-esteem and their confidence, enabling them to face the world and their peers.

"I knew that I was in no position to contribute financially to certain causes I believe in, so I had to decide what it was that I could do and donating my hair to Locks of Love was something I could definitely do to help and show my support," Brown said.

As a charity and strictly a charity, Locks of Love is not an affiliate of any for-profit hair replacement business. Instead, the charity must purchase the custom prostheses it provides for its recipients.

"Locks of Love is devoted to helping every child suffering from any kind of medical hair loss," Brown said. "They have helped both boys and girls with finding a hairpiece that makes the child feel comfortable and most importantly natural. That is so important for these young people."

These custom-fitted hair prosthetics are provided free of charge or on a sliding scale to children whose families meet the Locks of Love Board of Directors guidelines.

The organization, which began operation 1998, has helped more than 2,000 children to date. Thousands of bundles of donated hair arrive as a result of the Internet and word of mouth as well as publicity Locks of Love receives in newspapers, magazines and on television programs.

Donors like Brown provide the hair, volunteers open and sort the donations, and the manufacturer hand-assembles each piece, which requires approximately four to six months.

People may find it inspiring to find out that children comprise over 80 percent of the donors, making this a charity where young people have the opportunity to help other youth.

Brown can testify to that personally. After bagging up her own locks and sending them in, she spoke with family and friends about her positive experience, inspiring one young friend, Kaitlin Woods, 18, to do the same.

"After talking to Kaitlin about what I had done with Locks of Love she looked into the charity for herself and decided to cut her hair off too," Brown said. "That was amazing. Very mature and thoughtful."

Locks of Love provides its recipients with a custom, vacuum-fitted hairpiece made entirely from donated human hair. The vacuum fit is designed for children who have experienced a total loss of scalp hair and does not require the use of tape or glue.

According to the Locks of Love guidelines, donated hair is evaluated for its usefulness according to the following guidelines:

For those who may be considering participating in one way or another, Brown said that monetary donations to Locks of Love are accepted and tax-deductible. If someone wanted to donate their hair, Brown said that they can do so by following the guidelines and should send their hair to Locks of Love at 2925 10th Avenue N., Suite 102 Lake Worth, FL 33461.

Additional information about Locks of Love can be found by visiting www.locksoflove.org.

"I have really enjoyed my experience with this cause," Brown said. "So much, in fact, that I am planning on letting my hair continue to grow so that I can donate to the charity again."