News
14 November, 2023
Cancer hair donation brings new look
Two Burpengary girls are proof anyone can help make the world a brighter place, one little gesture at a time, no matter the age.
Aged 9 and 7, Melody and Aurora Webber recently chopped off their waist-long hair to donate to cancer foundation The Ponytail Project.
After the two girls grew their hair out for two years with the sole purpose of donating it, their actions inspired the rest of their family to take part. Their mum Natalee, their aunt, uncle and nana all joined in.
“The girls just started campaigning to everyone they knew about what they were doing and why and trying to get others on board to join,” Natalee said.
Their efforts didn’t stop at family either, with the girls distributing flyers to their classmates at St Paul’s Lutheran Primary School & Kindergarten and creating an online fundraiser to raise money for The Ponytail Project.
The girls raised over $1,200, having set a goal of $3,000. After showing up to school with their hair suddenly up to their ears rather than their waist, they were complimented all around by friends, even inspiring some to look into the project as well.
“I was super excited when they were cutting it off and that we were going to donate to kids and I was going to make someone happy,” Aurora said with a big smile.
The girls’ own inspiration came after one of Natalee’s best friends died of cancer in 2021. This first exposed the little ones, then 7 and 5 years old, to the effects of the disease and what it does, including hair loss.
After seeing their mum watch a YouTube video of a little boy crying due to being diagnosed, the girls realised this illness wasn’t limited to adults and so they wanted to find a way to help.
After learning one of her school friends had taken part in the Ponytail Project, Melody found how she could help cancer patients.
She then got her sister on board and so their two-year mission began.
“Cancer is a bad disease and people lose hair because of the chemo and I wanted to make them happy,” Melody said.
The girls are also excited to be donating to the Kmart Wishing Tree - a yearly Christmas tradition for them - further showcasing their giving nature.
Both parents are very proud of how compassionate and selfless their daughters are, especially given their young age.
“We tried to teach them to think about others and that giving to people is better than receiving,” Natalee said.
“Kindness costs nothing.”
Both girls are happy with their new look, saying it has made gymnastics much easier and less hot by not having all that hair.
Melody wants to grow it out to shoulder length as she misses being able to tie it up, and Aurora possibly wants to grow it to donate again.
If you want to help support the girls’ cause, you can donate to https://www.ponytailproject.com.au/fundraisers/webberfamilyteam.
