Luke Judge

Chemotherapy lies ahead, so she offers her hair to help others Published: Monday, March 14, 2011 at 11:42 p.m. last Modified: Monday, March 14, 2011 at 11:42 p.m.

VENICE – when her father chopped off her long blond ponytail, and stylist James Griffith started snipping away at the rest of her hair, Sydney Thinnes began to weep.

This was no ordinary haircut for Sydney, who has been battling a rare blood disorder for the past two years.

The Venice High cheerleader will undergo a bone-marrow transplant next week that, if successful, will enable her to live a normal life but will also result in three months in the hospital, the loss of her hair and cost her most of her senior year in high school.

But rather than sit back and watch her hair come out in clumps from the chemotherapy she begins this week, Sydney decided to have her shoulder-length blond hair cut off and donated to a nonprofit group that makes hairpieces for other ill people.

“I still want a little bit of hair,” Sydney, 16, told Griffith, as a half dozen family and friends watched at the salon Monday, including a cousin who decided to cut off her long hair in solidarity. “I won’t lose it all for two weeks.”

Donating her hair is one of many difficult decisions Sydney has made since she was given a diagnosis of aplastic anemia, a blood disorder in which the body’s bone marrow does not make enough new blood cells.

She endured blood transfusions and another treatment that seemed to be working, but in September she became gravely ill again. a donor match was found in January and she begins chemotherapy Wednesday to prepare her for the five-hour surgery next week.

The chemotherapy that will prevent her body from rejecting the marrow transplant will also make it unlikely she will be able to conceive children someday.

Faced with that prospect, Sydney opted to have eggs harvested from her ovaries so that she may later become a mother. her parents took out a $10,000 loan to pay for the procedure, which is not covered by insurance.

“Maybe she won’t need them,” her mother said about the eggs. she made the decision “to donate them to someone else who needs them. They’ll be a great cheerleader.”

A procedure that was unheard of a few years ago, it is part of a new program at All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg to counsel children and their families about the issues facing survivors of pediatric cancers, said spokeswoman Ann Miller.

Making life decisions at an age when most girls are worrying about getting ready for prom has made Sydney mature beyond her years.

Before going to the hospital, Sydney planned to coach one last practice with the young cheerleaders at the Venice Vikings football field at Wellfield Park, where her mother coaches cheerleading beside her and her father coaches football. in between treatments, the family is on the sidelines for games and practices.

“There is none of that crawl in a hole and feel sorry for yourself,” said Gretchen Wilson, a family friend whose sons play for Jay Thinnes.

The football community has rallied around the family with blood marrow drives to find a match and to collect blood for others.

They are planning a golf outing and concert in may to benefit the family.

But on Monday, it was time to celebrate a new look.

As Griffith fluffed Sydney’s hair, her smile slowly returned. “Oh my God,” she said. “It’s so weird.”

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Yes, hair loss can be prevented. It is easy to prevent rather than to treat. With simple measures you can stay away from the baldness. Once you suffer with the baldness it becomes really an embarrassing condition. It is only a physical condition, but it adversely affects the personal, social, and professional life of individual.

The bald people suffer with the lack of self-esteem and confidence due to their hairlessness. Of course there are varieties of the treatments available to cure baldness, but it takes a time to resolve the issue permanently. So, it is always better to prevent the hair loss rather than curing it. Here are some simple tips that would help you to prevent the hairs loss.

1. Handle the hair with a proper care. Be soft whenever combing or shaping them. For combing use the hair brush that is soft and has enough space between blades, so that it doesn’t pull the hairs. This will not loosen the grip of hairs over the scalp and the hair loss can be prevented.

2. Proper nutrition is must to prevent hair loss. So, always feed on the healthy diet. Eat the protein-rich diet as it helps in growth and maintenance of hairs. Eat the diet that includes much amount of raisins as it gives better flexibility to the hairs and prevent them from breaking.

3. Water is the transport medium for the nutrients to the hairs. So, drink adequate amount of the water regularly. This would help the nutrients to reach the hairs pretty easily. Along with it water also regulates the temperature of the head to be at normal level, which is necessary for the hair growth.

4. Don’t tie your hair tightly. It is mandatory to prevent hair loss that you avoid tight hair styles like braids, ponytails, or buns. This will reduce the unnecessary pressure on the hairs and allow them to grow freely.

5. Eat fresh fruits and vegetables as they provide the necessary amount of the minerals and proteins that are required for the healthy hair growth. Fruits like oranges, bananas, apples, apricots, and pineapple must be eaten in enough amounts as they provide the required amount of zinc, iron, Vitamin C, Vitamin A, and calcium required for the healthy hair growth.

6. Apply the oil on hairs, but only twice in a week. Oil is the necessary nutrient to the hairs that provide the required luster and strengthen the fibers in the hairs. But, applying it daily must be avoided as it blocks the hair pores and make it difficult for the hairs to grow further. The best hair oil is the coconut oil.

7. Wash the hairs at least twice in a week. Washing helps to clean the hairs. It removes all the dust and dirt accumulated on the hairs. Wash them thoroughly this will reduce the effect of air and water pollution on the hairs. But, don’t wash them regularly because it may loosen the grip of hairs over the scalp.

8. Use the herbal or naturally prepared hair shampoo for the washing hairs. Never use any synthetic or chemical-based shampoo to wash the hairs. This will make the hairs dry and would promote the hair loss.

9. Protect your hairs from the harmful sunrays. Wear a cap or a scarp while you go out in the afternoon sun. The high temperature is bad for hairs as it removes the moisture from them, makes them dry. This results in graying and thinning of hairs that breakdown easily, which gradually leads to hair loss. To prevent this dryness use the conditioner that will help to maintain the moisture in the hairs.

10. Limit the use of the hair dryer or if you want to use it. Please slow the blow of air dryer and keep the temperature at very moderate level. Also, never hold the blow of air continuously at one place otherwise it may harm the scalp and loosen the grip of hairs. It is best to dry the hair by soft towel with a slow rubbing of hairs and then leave them to dry naturally.

Filed under: Hair Care Tips

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