Local girl gives from the heart

Fifth grader Sarah Mooy, at Dexter's Central Elementary School, has a new look -- and her fellow students and family have a newfound respect for the 10-year-old who has always been known on campus as "the girl with the longest hair."

Sarah's locks hung down nearly to her knees and have become her trademark over the past few years. But all that changed recently when she visited a local hairdresser and had 25 inches of hair cut for a personal, and very special purpose.

"Sarah never entertained the idea of cutting her hair," explains her mother, Emily Zaarouri, "until she was inspired by another student."

The "other" student, also at Central, suffers from a disorder called alopecia universalis. The immune disorder affects one in 100,000 individuals, causing rapid loss of all hair, including eyebrows and eyelashes. Alopecia universalis is the most severe form of alopecia areata. Regrowth is always a possibility, even for those with total hair loss over many years. However, experts say it is not possible to predict when regrowth may occur.

Sarah explained to her mother how she came to the decision to get her own hair cut.

She said, "I've been seeing this little girl out on the playground. I can see her playing through the window while I'm in my classroom. She doesn't have any hair. So, I thought I'd try to help another girl out by donating some of mine. I have plenty."

A surprised mother made an appointment for Sarah at Cecily's Beauty Cottage in Dexter. There, on a recent Saturday morning, over two feet of Sarah's hair was cut. The 25 inch ponytail was shipped to Locks of Love, a non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to children in the United States and Canada under age 21 who are suffering from long-term medical hair loss.

Most of the children helped by Locks of Love have lost their hair due to the same medical condition as the student Sarah watched out her window at Central Elementary. The prostheses, or wigs, provided through the efforts of Locks of Love are intended to restore a child's self-esteem, enabling them to face the world and their peers with greater confidence.

"I know the girl at school probably won't get the hair that I donated, but I just wanted to help someone like her if I could."

Cecily's Beauty Cottage donated the cost of Sarah's haircut to the Stoddard County Relay for Life event scheduled for May in Dexter.