Mother shaves head for cancer to support daughter’s friend

Emily Wright, 37, who runs jewellery keepsake business Wright Works, had her head shaved at The Orchards Shopping Centre in support of Macmillan Cancer Support.

And her four-year-old daughter, Keira, took the first snip of hair in front of a supportive crowd who commended the pair for their courage.

Emily explained her motives: “After seeing a brave little girl at my daughter’s nursery visit last week after losing her hair due to cancer treatment, I knew I had to show my support by shaving my head.

“I have been in touch with the family of the little girl who inspired me to brave the shave and they were overwhelmed by my gesture.

“Also a friend’s father recently sadly lost his fight and my daughter’s key worker kicked cancers bum so I wanted to do something.”

In the build up to the event she said she felt ‘apprehensive and crazy’.

But now Emily says her daughter ‘loves stroking my new hair’.

“She is very proud of what her mummy has done to help ‘poorly people’,” the fund raiser added.

The hair cut reeled in £447 from online donations and £220.98 on the day from cash and bucket donations.

After the hair was shaved Emily said: “Seeing everyone here made it so much easier, I felt nervous and sick until I saw everyone here then it was fine. It made it all worthwhile.

“It feels really weird, touching my head feels weird, and it’s really light,” she added.

The chairman of the Haywards Heath Macmillan group Elspeth Metcalf said she is ‘very appreciative of what Emily is doing’.

The hair will grow back at a rate of 1/4 inches every three weeks.

Donate to Emily’s fund raising page at www.shaveorstyle.org.uk/shavers/emily-wright