Lily-Mae wants to donate almost 20 inches of hair

A teenager is preparing for an emotional first ever hair cut in memory of her cousin.

Alfie tragically died from cancer aged 9. He lost his hair during treatment and all the men in his family shaved their heads in a loving sign of solidarity.

Now, some 10 years later, his cousin Lily-Mae Barnes is paying her own moving tribute by cutting her long locks in Alfie’s memory.

Lily-Mae was just four-years-old when Alfie underwent treatment and had wanted to shave her head with her relatives.

“Due to her young age, we didn’t feel that Lily-Mae fully understood the aftermath of making a choice like that,” explained her mum, Claire Barnes.

“Although it was so kind, we wanted her to wait until she was fully understanding of the choice. Therefore, I suggested that she grew her hair and donated to The Little Princess Trust instead.”

At this time, Lily-Mae had never had a hair cut and – 10 years on – that is still the case.

“We have photo documented her hair growth over the 13 years and it hasn’t always been easy to tame and care for such long hair,” added Claire.

“There have definitely been a few stressful moments throughout, but we have always known how lucky we are to have healthy hair.”

Lily-Mae, 13, plans to cut almost 20 inches of her hair in the summer and, ahead of the big day, will start fundraising to help us turn her long locks into a wig.

Claire, from Havant in Hampshire, said: “We discussed how it costs £700 to make a wig and suggested that £700 be our target.

“However, Lily-Mae wanted to be even more kind-hearted and wanted to use this opportunity to help her brother too.”

Declan was diagnosed with Chronic Kidney Disease at 6 weeks old and has been through a lot in his 11 years, with much more to face in the future.

“Lily-Mae had always been an amazing and supportive sister and has always been included in Declan’s health journey,” explained Claire.

“Lily-Mae’s plan is to cut and donate her hair to LPT and hopefully raise £1,000 in doing so. Then she will donate £700 to LPT to cover the cost of the wig and use the remaining money to donate to a kidney charity.

“It’s such a bittersweet moment to watch Lily-Mae make these choices, stick to them, and put her heart into it for her family members who she loves.

“The proudness we feel is indescribable and we are so unbelievably happy that Lily-Mae finally gets her moment to donate.

“The circumstances in why this began is so gut wrenchingly sad, but we know her cousin is beaming with pride watching over her and her brother is feeling so blessed to have her as a sister.”