Brockton 5-year-old continues family tradition of donating hair to Locks of Love
BROCKTON – For Ayla Robles' 5th birthday, she didn't ask for toys or games, but the ability to give back to the world in the most humble way – through hair donation like her sister.
"She's never gotten a hair cut," said Sarah Panto, Ayla's mother.
The kindergartener's hair goes past her back, and she said she's "excited" to donate to a good cause like everyone else in her family.
Donating hair in the family is a generational tradition that started in 1999 with Ayla's mother.
More: This 5-year-old's Locks of Love donation was a family tradition 23 years in the making
The family plans to mail Ayla's hair to the Locks of Love Foundation — a nonprofit organization in West Palm Beach, Florida, that provides hair pieces for children with cancer.
The 24-year-old tradition began when Panto had a classmate fighting cancer who lost his hair.
Panto thought donating her hair to help children like him would be a great idea.
The classmate died around the time of the donation and Panto said, "He would get his wig in heaven."
"I like the fact my daughters can do the same thing I did when I was 5 years old. It's a sentimental thing, and it's important to me," Panto said.
In 2022, Panto's oldest daughter, Rosalie Robles, donated 11 inches of her hair to the cause.
Lisa Almeida, a hairdresser at Positive Image Hair Design in Brockton, has been cutting the hair for each donation.
Almeida cut Panto's hair in 1999 and is continuing the family legacy.
"When we moved to Brockton 35 years ago, we went to their salon, and all my kids get their hair cut there. They're nice people, so we've kept our business with them," Wendy Panto, the mother of Sarah Panto, said.
How to donate to Locks Of Love
The family suggests donating hair if you can help another child's confidence in their newfound journey.
To learn about hair donation, visit locksoflove.org/forms/hair-donation-form.
Enterprise staff writer Alisha Saint-Ciel can be reached by email at stciela@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on The Enterprise: Brockton 5-year-old donates her hair to Locks of Love
