Lucy Fischer smiles for the camera minutes before her hair is cut as a gift of love.

Lucy Fischer is one of the many children 18 years or younger who have donated their ponytails to the Locks of Love, a national non–profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children suffering from long term medical conditions that cause hair loss.

Locks of Love uses the 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 restores children’s self esteem and confidence when they are around their peers.

Lucy gets her ponytail snipped by hair dresser Joyce O’Cain. Lucy’s mother, Stephanie Fischer, said she heard about Locks of Love from her friend in Ohio who had donated her ponytail as a gift of love. Fischer thought it was a nice idea and thought about cutting Lucy’s hair. “We were wanting to cut it anyway. The ‘tangle monster’ comes every night. Summers in Columbia are so hot and humid. I thought a short haircut would be a good thing. Her hair can always grow back.”

Lucy loves her stylish new do. Lucy wanted to give her hair to another child who didn’t have any. However, when the big day arrived, she admitted having butterflies in her stomach. For moral support, her grandmother and little sister accompanied Lucy and her mother to Steven Michael’s Hair Salon.

Joyce O’Cain, the hair stylist, was familiar with the regulations that Locks of Love required. Lucy’s hair was freshly washed, combed into a ponytail, and snipped. Donated ponytails must be a minimum of 10 inches. After natural air drying, the ponytails are sent in a plastic bag to Locks of Love. O’Cain shaped and cut Lucy’s hair into a fashionable bob.

When Lucy saw her new hairdo, she said, “I’m glad I did it!”

For more information concerning Locks of Love, visit www.locksoflove.org.