'We wanted to show that she is not alone in this fight; the entire school is with her'

In a heart-warming gesture, 14 teachers and non-teaching staff of an Indian school have donated their hair to support a Grade 5 student with cancer.

A month back, a 10-year-old girl of International Indian School, Baniyas West, Abu Dhabi, was diagnosed with cancer. While the brave heart is fighting leukaemia at a hospital, her school decided to stand by her.

On Thursday, teachers and non-teaching staff donated their hair in the hopes of bringing a smile to the face of their student.

“It was a month back that she was hospitalised. She has leukaemia. But we wanted to show that she is not alone in this fight. The entire school is with her. So, teachers, admin and supporting staff, overall, 14 people, donated their hair. We had four male staff who went bald,” school principal Dr Beno Kurien said about the event held under the theme: ‘For her… Our Little Angel’.

“With this gesture, we wish to inspire and encourage the community members to offer their support with such actions. People with cancer lose their hair while undergoing chemotherapy. So, we can donate our hair; it will grow back,” the principal said.

The school contacted Premi Mathew, the founder of Hair for Hope India, to inaugurate the event and inspire others.

“I think this is for the first time that teachers are donating their hair to cancer patients. They are also donating a smile. This is something that the world has never seen,” Premi said.

Premi, the Dubai resident, is a cancer survivor herself and strives to create awareness about the importance of early screening.

“Losing hair is the most traumatic part of chemo. Hair is an integral part of a person’s personality. The teachers have set a noble example for not just the students and inspiring the world to follow them. I feel this should be an example for all the schools around the world,” Premi added.

The donated hair will be converted into wigs and given directly to the patients to give them the confidence to face society and the strength to fight the disease. The hair donated in the UAE goes to Friends of Cancer Patients.

The school members who donated are Vijaya Dialani, Christen Joy, Gabrielle Toledo, Remya A.C., Mary Anne, Myma Paga, Necie Catada, Teenu, Shanty, Sherra Lantin, and four men who went bald are Afsal, Nagaraju, Vetrivel Velsamy and Jitheesh.