A NINE-YEAR-OLD from Bowes was so touched by a family member’s cancer diagnosis that she raised more than £1,000 for charity by having her hair cut.
Little Emily Luck, who attends Bowes Hutchinson’s Primary School, decided to sacrifice her locks for The Little Princess Trust after her half-cousin, Molly, lost her hair while receiving treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.
The 11-year-old was diagnosed in August last year and received treatment at Great Ormond Street Hospital, in London.
Emily’s mum, Tracy, said: “Before Christmas, Emily asked if she could have her hair cut and donate it to The Little Princess Trust. She then decided she would like to get sponsorship too to raise as much money as possible for the trust. Her father, Gary, and I told her that if she made £200 to £300 for the trust, she would have done an amazing job, but she was determined that she could make £1,000 and on final calculations she has raised £1,105.
“When I asked Emily before she got her hair cut, she said she was ‘nervous and excited all at the same time’.
“When I told her she had beaten her target of £1,000 she said ‘see – and you didn't think I could do it’.”
Mrs Luck added that Molly’s illness had a huge impact on Emily and her sister, Heidi, as well as the rest of the family, because of how quickly she became poorly.
She said: “Molly is doing really well at the moment. She had a few infections before Christmasand was able to come home from hospital after having platelets late on Christmas Eve so that she could spend Christmas Day with her family.
“When she was diagnosed, she was due to start secondary school in the September but she has never been able to start. But she has just received some fantastic news from Great Ormond Street Hospital that she can start to venture outside a little and maybe have an hour or so at school here and there, so she is thrilled.”
Meanwhile, Emily is hoping to growing her hair so she can have it cut again.
The youngster thanked everyone who sponsored her haircut.
