By Saša Trifunović , Ružica Kantar
LOZNICA - Fourteen-year-old Aleksa Dragićević didn't go to the hairdresser for three years, and only his parents knew why he was growing his hair. Recently, he went to Vesna Rakić's hair salon, and it was revealed that he did it to donate his hair for making wigs for children with cancer.
Through social media, he learned that Vesna was involved in the project of the citizens' association Always with Children, which helps children who have lost their hair during chemotherapy, and the drive Let My Hair Be Your Hair, so he decided to do something.
“Aleksa decided to help in his own way. He started growing his hair and came to the salon every six months to measure it and see if it had reached the required length for donation. The minimum length needed is 30 centimetres, and when we cut his hair, it was 35 centimetres. We made a video clip that gained a lot of attention on social media. By the way, it takes five to six hair donations to make one wig. Aleksa is a wonderful child, and his action is admirable. This action has no deadline; unfortunately, there are always new patients. So far, we have cut hair for this purpose from 523 people in our salon, and about 70 wigs have been made. Besides the five or six hair donations, each wig also requires 50,000 dinars because it is made from imported materials, and it must be such that it does not bother the children when they wear it and looks as natural as possible. Mostly, the hair is donated by girls aged six to 12, and now Aleksa has appeared. So far, we have had seven or eight boys who have donated their hair,” explains Vesna, whose salon in Serbia has the most donations for the Let My Hair Be Your Hair drive, for Kurir.
“Aleksa will be starting high school in the autumn, having enrolled in the natural sciences and mathematics programme at the Vuk Karadžić Preparatory School in Loznica, and this is his next step towards medical school, which he plans to go to,” says his mother Vanja Dragojević.
Aleksa's uncle, my younger brother, was bedridden for thirteen months and died of cancer, so my son was aware of that illness. Even as a preschooler, he said he wanted to be a doctor, to help people, and he asked me to buy him books about medicine and never gave up on that idea. What he did is in line with his beliefs and desire. It was his way to keep the memory of his uncle and help someone before he becomes a doctor. He decided to grow his hair, and he had my and his father's support. It lasted three years, and he made it seem easy; he didn't complain about the heat in the summer or anything similar. He decided what he wanted and did it. I think his gesture can be an inspiration to others to do good deeds within their capabilities. If everyone helped as much as they could, we would all be a little better off,” says Aleksa's mother, who has two more daughters and another son; Aleksa is the third child. Aleksa is currently not in Loznica, but he is glad that his gesture has attracted attention.
“It wasn't hard for me to grow my hair because I knew why I was doing it. I'm glad if more people see this story. Maybe someone else will decide to do the same or something similar. I think it's important to help someone if you can. I grew my hair because it seemed like the best thing I could do at the moment,” says this young big-hearted man who has now drastically changed his image and is getting used to his new hairstyle. Incidentally, Vesna, who has been cooperating with the Always with Children association for six years, also has a donation box in her salon. She explains that the money is collected for a family home where children from the countryside spend time during chemotherapy.
“From the money from the donation box or payments to the association's account, the costs, utilities, food, and everything necessary for the patient and one of their companions are financed. Some of my clients make organic juices, preserves, or jams, and we send those to the children too; we do everything we can to help them in their fight for recovery. By the way, what Aleksa did is a confirmation and encouragement that there are still young people who know what true values are, who want, wish, and find ways to help others. Maybe someone will be inspired by his example and do the same,” says the woman who has participated in several fundraising efforts for the treatment of the sick, adding that local women with suitable hair lengths can come and help someone together, and they will receive a free haircut, blow-dry, and new hairstyle.
Who knows, maybe Aleksa's gesture will inspire another boy to grow his hair, or a girl to cut hers and donate it for a wig that will, at least in that way, bring joy to a child fighting a terrible disease. Aleksa has done his part; others are next, and perhaps he will grow his hair again for the same reason.
