Teen donates 2 feet of hair for sick children after growing it out since 3rd grade
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WJAR) - A Rhode Island boy with a huge heart spent years growing his hair out just so he could cut it all off and donate it to a good cause.
Emilio Santana, 14, is currently a ninth grader at St. Raphael Academy. In the sixth grade, he took up wrestling, and this past year, he became the Rhode Island State Champion in his age bracket.
“I just let it all out on the mat,” Emilio said.
The drive and determination the teenager shows in wrestling led him to succeed with his own personal goal that all started with a stranger he saw years ago.
“I started growing out my hair in the third grade,” Emilio said. “A little girl at the beach was going to the water and took her hat off, and her hair went with it. You could see she was sad and felt embarrassment, and that kind of just stuck with me.”
That moment impacted Emilio so much that he decided to grow out his hair, so he could donate it for someone in need.
“Knowing how big of a part that could play in somebody else’s life and bring joy to them, it made me want to take action,” the teen said.
Maintaining his long locks took extra work over the years. During wrestling matches, he put it in braids or a bun, and at times, the remarks were hard to manage.
“Even when I got some comments like ‘boys shouldn’t have long hair’ and stuff like that, I decided as long as I get to see somebody smile and make their life better, I wanted to do it,” Emilio said.
“Seeing someone so young have a goal like that in their mind at such a young age, that’s just incredible,” said Emilio’s wrestling coach, David Gonzalez.
Going into the new school year, Emilio finally decided to cut his hair. At that point, it was 2 feet long.
“I shed a few tears, but I just knew that I was doing this for a good reason and that this would make somebody happy,” the teen said.
His hair is being donated to “Hair We Share,” a nonprofit that provides wigs to sick children at no charge. He’s even taking things a step further with a fundraiser in hopes of paying for the process of making a wig.
“Other places charge for the wigs. I want the person to get my hair for free,” Emilio said. “To make a wig, it costs around $900 to $1,350. I want to make sure that I put my all into this because it’s my hair.”
Putting his all into everything he does is something Emilio’s coach can attest to.
“The moment he says he wants to do something, he’s going to make sure he gets it done,” Gonzalez said.
Emilio said he hopes the person who receives his hair knows that as his hair grew, his heart did, too.
“To the person I’m giving my hair to, you’re beautiful either way – with hair, with no hair – and I really hope my hair brings you joy and puts a smile on your face,” the teen said.
He adds his new buzz cut is different – but in a good way – and he’s still getting used to it.
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