Published: June 30, 2009 04:17 pm      

Weatherford College instructor donates hair to Locks of Love

WEATHERFORD — It took more than a year to grow it and only five seconds to snip it off his head, but Doc Ballard watched the 14-inch swatch of his hair come off with a big smile on his face.

“I am proud that I can help in this small way,” Ballard, Weatherford College’s Intermedia Arts program director, said.

This is the second time in as many years that Ballard’s hair will be sent to Locks of Love, a non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children suffering from long-term medical hair loss. The donated hair is used to create high-quality hair prosthetics. According to its Web site, www.locksoflove.org, most of the children helped by Locks of Love have lost their hair due to a medical condition called alopecia areata, which has no known cause or cure.

Ballard joked about having to wear sunblock on the back of his neck for protection now since his long locks have been sheared, but he’s very serious about the reality of the circumstances that make such donations necessary.

“I hope that my actions will serve as an example for my students, as well. I think there’s a good lesson to be learned here.”

Since his haircut by WC cosmetology student Karina Gonzalez at the WC Education Center in Mineral Wells a few weeks ago, his hair has grown maybe a quarter-inch.

“Only 12 to 14 inches to go,” Ballard said, “and we’ll do it again.”