Wet, chestnut-colored hair hung nearly to Cheryl McGinnis? lower back as she slid into a chair at Bellezza Salon last week.
By the time she slid out 40 minutes later, her locks were some 14 inches shorter.
‘You started this whole thing,? she said to stylist Chris Talbot. ‘Do you remember asking if I was growing my hair for Locks of Love??
At the time, McGinnis, a longtime Independence Township resident who currently serves as vice president on the Clarkston’s Board of Education, wondered what would make her stylist ask such a thing.
But the question got her thinking.
In October 2006, after all, longtime friend and co-worker Sharon Gillis had been diagnosed with stage-four lung cancer; doctors said she’d live six weeks.
But Gillis was determined to attend her daughter’s wedding’which was pushed from Labor Day weekend to Memorial Day weekend after the diagnosis’and underwent radiation and chemotherapy treatments in hope of extending her life.
The difficult treatments paid off, and although she lost most of her hair during the radiation and chemo, pictures in her daughter’s wedding album show no evidence.
‘She had to have a wig,? McGinnis said. ‘It was one of the fun things she got to do while she was sick, go pick out a wig. She finally got to be the blond she never was.?
So when Talbot asked McGinnis if she was thinking of donating her hair, and told her many organizations now accept colored hair’McGinnis, 50, uses an organic formula to cover a few grays’she realized it was a perfect way to honor a friend.
Gillis worked some 25 years at Contract Professionals, Inc. in Waterford’a company owned by McGinnis? husband, Mark.
When she passed away Oct. 3, 2007, Gillis was just months shy of retirement as the company’s Human Resources director.
A segment on Oprah Winfrey’s Great American Haircut show that same month, McGinnis said, convinced her to donate her own locks to Pantene Beautiful Lengths, an initiative dedicated to supporting and encouraging women who’ve lost their hair during cancer treatment.
‘But I didn’t want to do it just any day,? she said.
She remembered Sharon’s birthday: December 5.
It was the perfect day; after growing her hair two-and-a-half years, McGinnis made the appointment, then, coincidently ran into Sharon’s husband, Rod Gillis, at a retirement party Dec. 4.
Wanting him to know how special Sharon had been to those who knew her at Contract Professionals, McGinnis took the opportunity to inform him of her plan for the next day.
‘It was really very touching,? he said. ‘Cheryl’s a pretty accomplished lady; for her to do something like that and dedicate it to Sharon was very gratifying.?
The news, he said, renewed his sense of ‘what a wonderful woman? his wife was, about the esteem and regard others had for her, and how much people cared for her.
Rod described his wife as ‘very capable of seeing both sides of things, very people oriented and willing to go the extra mile to assist or help someone out.?
After Sharon lost her hair, he said, the wig became very important.
‘Until you’ve been through it, you just don’t understand how much it does mean,? he said. ‘So many things are not going good, but when you can restore some appearance, it’s a very, very positive thing for those folks.?
And that’s why McGinnis wanted to help someone else in honor of her friend.
‘I very much like my long hair,? she said, noting her tresses were about four inches longer before the cut than at any other time in her life. ‘It’ll definitely be an adjustment getting used to having it short again, but I made a commitment to doing this.?
McGinnis? daughter Sarah McGinnis said the haircut was typical behavior for her mom.
‘She’s very selfless,? Sarah said. ‘She’s always been one to do things for others.?
The Pantene Beautiful Lengths real-hair wigs for cancer patients are created in partnership with the American Cancer Society, the Entertainment Industry Foundation, and HairUWear, a leader in hair extensions and additions.
For more information, check out www.beautifullengths.com