Airdronian Mary Jo Coons has always sported short hair. In fact, for the past 25 years, she's kept a short haircut. But when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, she stopped going to the salon.

"I got terrified to leave my home, so I never went to the hairdressers for two and a half years and it just grew and grew and grew." 

It wasn't until Coons was watching a re-run of America's Got Talent, an episode which showcased an 11-year-old boy named Tyler Butler Figueroa that she decided what to do with her long locks.

"He played the violin excellently, but his story got to me. When he was four, he got cancer. When he lost his hair, he got bullied a lot in school, and kids wouldn't play with them because they thought they would catch the hair loss from cancer," Coons said. "So long story short, it really hit my heart, listening to him and I decided when I was comfortable enough to get back out in the world, I was going to get it cut and donate it."

And last week Coons just did that at Airdrie's HairBenders Salon. Although Coons didn't feel one bit of trepidation as her hair was snipped away, nearly 12 half inches, she did say there was an immense sense of joy in what she was doing.

Mary Jo Coons has been growing her hair out for years now, but this past week she decided to part ways with it for a great cause (Photo provided by Chantae Simard)Mary Jo Coons has been growing her hair out for years now, but this past week she decided to part ways with it for a great cause (Photo provided by Chantae Simard)

"The only emotions was basically, it was a hunk of my hair that some little girl or boy might be wearing in the future and that's the part that got me; it wasn't parting with the hair, but I wished I could see a smile on a child's face wearing it," she said. "I wanted to make other people aware of that. Donations really are needed and that they can do it too."

Coons decided to donate her hair to the Angel Hair For Kids - A Child's Voice Foundation. She is ready to ship it in the coming days.

Mary Jo Coons has been growing her hair out for years now, but this past week she decided to part ways with it for a great cause (Photo provided by Chantae Simard)Mary Jo Coons has been growing her hair out for years now, but this past week she decided to part ways with it for a great cause (Photo provided by Chantae Simard)

According to the foundation, it typically takes between 10 and 12 donated ponytails and $2,000 to sponsor one Angel Hair For Kids child.

Since Coons' hair grows quite fast, she is not opposed to going through the process again to donate more.

"Definitely, definitely," she said.

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