March 5, 2007

When Dr. Lynne Simpson decided to make a donation to a worthy charitable cause, she obviously took to heart the idea that a gift of one's self is the most cherished gift of all.

By donating nearly a foot of her own hair, Simpson gave a part of herself that will give comfort to children whose own hair has been lost to a medical condition.

Simpson, a professor of English at PC, donated her hair to the Florida-based charity, Locks of Love, which provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children under the age of 18 who have suffered hair loss from any diagnosis. By doing so, she made a short-term sacrifice for a long-term cause – restoring the dignity of an ailing child.

According to the charity's website, www.locksoflove.org, most of the children helped by Locks of Love have lost their hair due to alopecia areata, a medical condition which has no known cause or cure. The organization also benefits children who have been treated for cancer – a particular disease that has affected those in Simpson's life, she said.

"I lost my mom to breast cancer in 1988 and my dear friend (PC professor of history) Anita Gustafson was happily triumphant in her battle with that terrible disease, so I've been touched enough in my life by people who have been the victims of cancer," she said. "So I wanted to reach out in a small, small way and try to help."

Alongside her "hair growing buddy," PC student Jessica Ziegler, Simpson earned a lot of support on campus – from both students and colleagues. She did, however, want to prepare them for her own "loss" coming into the spring semester.

"I was desperately trying to get my hair cut before second semester started so the shock wouldn't be so bad," she said. "I knew my new students wouldn't be used to seeing me like that. But, of course, my hairdresser couldn't see me in time to do it – and I walk into a classroom maybe two weeks into the new semester and one of my students said, 'Whoa, that was a showstopper! If anyone was sleeping before, they aren't now!' It was a pretty dramatic change, obviously, and now my head feels like it's about four pounds lighter."

In addition to compliments on campus, Simpson also earned plenty of support at home from her husband, fellow PC professor, Dr. Greg Goeckel. The man at home she was most concerned about was the couple's three-year-old son, Zachary.

"In his whole life, that he can remember, he's never seen Mommy with short hair," she explained.

But Zack proved most resilient when it came to the loss of Mom's follicles.

"He was the one I was most concerned with," said Simpson. "We took him with us when I went to get my haircut so he could watch it and we tried to prepare him for what was happening. He was so sweet. He said, "Oh, Mommy, you still look beautiful with your short hair.'"

Simpson also resisted placing too much sentimental attachment to her lost hair.

"I've worn my hair in a variety of styles in the 10 years I've been here at PC, so I think I was really ready for a visual change," she said. "Part of this process is that you have to grow your hair 10 inches before you cut it, so at one point I was going, 'Grow hair, grow' so we could get to it. It seemed like it got to nine inches and just stopped. So when it got to 10 inches, I was ready to have the 10 inches cut and get a new 'do. The fashionista in me was ready for a change."

All in all, Simpson said her Locks of Love contribution was a "painless" effort. After all, hair does grow back. Nonetheless, her gift made a lasting impression on a young one in a time of need – and that's forever.

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