|
By Erika Anderson
Staff Writer
ROSWELL-At an age where most girls are learning to curl and braid their
hair, Mary Alexa Johns chose instead to lop off 10 inches of her dark blonde
mane.
Mary Alexa, a fifth-grader at Queen of Angels School, had read an article in
American Girl magazine about Locks of Love, a non-profit organization
that provides custom hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children with
long-term medical hair loss.
"Last year a girl in my class did it and that inspired me to do
it," Mary Alexa said.
After silently toying with the idea of donating her hair, Mary Alexa
approached her mother, Laura, one December night and told her she wanted to cut
off her mid-torso length tresses.
"I tried to talk her out of it," Mrs. Johns said. "It wasn't
me pushing her at all. She was very adamant about it."
After Mary Alexa persisted, Mrs. Johns drove her daughter to the salon that
evening, where her long ponytail was cut off and sent to Locks of Love.
"I was pretty surprised that as little as she is, she was thinking in
that direction," Mrs. Johns said. "I was astounded that she's that
selfless."
Mrs. Johns said she has tried to instill strong values in both Mary Alexa
and her older brother, C. Jay, a freshman at St. Pius X High School in Atlanta.
"As a parent, you try to guide them," she said. "You try to
exemplify (strong values) and you just hope you're getting through."
Her parents' values indeed touched the heart of Mary Alexa, but so did the
sufferings of a sick relative and a classmate.
"My grandfather has had cancer so many times. He had to have chemo and
he lost most of his hair," Mary Alexa said. "At my old school there
was a girl who had to have chemo and she lost all of her hair. People used to
make fun of her. That inspired me to do this even more."
Mary Alexa's hair now hangs at her shoulders, and she said though her
friends were surprised when she came to school with her new look, she doesn't
think it's a big deal.
Ellen Howe, coordinator of religious education at Queen of Angels, said that
Mrs. Johns was the one who told her why Mary Alexa had cut her hair off.
"I complimented Mary Alexa on her hair cut and she just said 'thank
you.' She never told me about (donating her hair)," Howe said. "She's
very humble. She didn't do this for attention."
With aspirations of becoming a scientist, Mary Alexa also enjoys drawing,
painting and playing the piano.
"Mary Alexa is very gifted in a lot of areas," her mother said.
"I hope she continues to use her gifts not only to develop herself but
also to share with others."
As she gets older, 10-year-old Mary Alexa hopes to continue service to
others at the Church of St. Ann where she and her family are parishioners.
"Cutting off my hair really made me feel good about myself," she
said. "I really think I'd like to help at the church with people with
illnesses. It just makes me feel really good inside."
Mrs. Johns believes that her daughter will fulfill all the dreams she wants.
"When she has a goal, she has a desire to work toward it and she
doesn't waiver off that path," she said. "She's been that way since
she was little. I think it's a God-given gift and I think it's just innately in
her to be giving."
Over 75 percent of the donations made to Locks of Love are made by children,
making it a charity where children are helping children.
For more information about Locks of Love, visit their website at
www.locksoflove.com or call toll-free 1-888-896-1588.
|
