Joffrion cuts hair for cancer

Mary Meaux
The Port Arthur News

NEDERLAND July 16, 2008 07:55 pm

— Ben Joffrion made a personal decision that will one day affect the life of a woman facing cancer and hair loss.
The 21-year-old Port Arthur man cut eight inches of his long, dark tresses Wednesday morning and will donate the hair to a program called Pantene Beautiful Lengths.
The snip was made by hair stylist Lisa Felder at Wave-n-Rave salon on Twin City Highway. Ben’s mother, Jule, and father, Bud, were on scene for the main event.
The inspiration came from his own sister, Amanda, who previously donated her 11 1/2 inches of her hair to the same organization, and because of the death of a friend’s little brother.
“Amanda had the idea first,” Ben said from inside the salon as his mother snapped photos of his soon-to-be-cut hair. “Plus I had a friend who lost his little brother to leukemia.”
The young man had planned to cut his long hair anyway due to an upcoming internship thus giving him the chance to donate his hair and help others.
“For him to understand he is making a difference to someone who will lose their hair, this makes us smile, makes us proud,” his mother said.
As Felder combed Joffrion’s hair and tied it back with a rubber band the young man became a bit nervous.
“I’m terrified,” he said with a smile as Felder began snipping away.
The monumental moment passed quickly and Joffrion moved his head from side to side commenting on how light his hair felt without the length.
Pantene Beautiful Lengths is a program that creates wigs for women who lose their hair to cancer.
“Hair loss can strike an especially crippling blow to women fighting cancer. In fact, a recent study revealed that nearly 60 percent of women consider hair loss the most dreaded side effect they face when undergoing chemotherapy. Eight percent of these women are at risk of avoiding potentially life-saving treatment. Real-hair wigs can cost as much as $1200 and are often only partially covered by health insurance,” according to the Web site, beautifullengths.com.

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