Eleven year old donates her long hair to aid two charities

An inspirational eleven year old Galway girl has donated 14 inches of her beautiful hair to the Rapunzel Foundation, which will now be used to provide wigs for children who have suffered hair loss to alopecia.

But on top of that, Jade Heery from Claregalway has spent months raising sponsorship throughout Galway for this challenge – and last Saturday, following the Big Cut at the Arches Hotel in Claregalway, she also raised more than €3,000 to ACT for Meningitis.

That will help the Galway-based national charity to raise awareness and make a real difference in the lives of those affected by Meningitis in Ireland.

And with the total already rising from €2,750 at the weekend to €3,045 by mid-week, the good news is that the money still keeps rolling in!

“I’ve always had lovely long hair but last summer I decided I’d like to help another kid that isn’t as lucky as me and so I’m donating my hair to The Rapunzel Foundation,” said Jade, before Bernice Grealish got the scissors out for the biggest cut!

“My granny Kathleen needed a wig when she had chemotherapy and I never got to meet her. My Papa and Grandad also passed away this year and I miss them both very much. This is not a sad thing I’m doing as I know they’d all be very proud of me,” she added.

See full story – along with ‘before and after’ pix – in this week’s Connacht Tribune.