Et cetera : Locks of Love: Hendryx donates hair in memory of her brother

Bobbie's new look after donating her long hair to Locks of Love.

After the haircut: Bobbie holds her donation to Locks of Love.

Bobbie Hendryx prepares to lose her long hair to Locks of Love.

For for years, Bobbie Hendryx watched as her brother Steve "Bud" Witt battled vasculitis. As she saw him bravely face his illness and death, she decided she wanted to do something to help others.

Last weekend, she did something that for most women is a routine errand, but for her was significant: She went to the beauty shop.

Bobbie, who works at Monkeytown in Vinton, had her long hair cut so she could donate it to the Locks of Love.

"I'd been growing my hair for a quite a while with the intentions of doing a donation to Locks of Love," she said. "After my brother passed away last month I felt like it was just the right time. He battled vasculitis for the last four years so very bravely and I wanted to something in his memory that might help someone else be brave with their own battle with an illness."

Locks of Love is a public non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children in the United States and Canada under age 21 suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis. We meet a unique need for children by using donated hair to create the highest quality hair prosthetics.

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 we provide help to restore their self-esteem and their confidence, enabling them to face the world and their peers.

For more information on this program and how to donate hair to Locks of Love, click HERE.