GERMANTOWN, Md. -
A Maryland middle schooler has gotten rid of something, most of his hair. But he's not just tossing it aside. He is helping others.
Things are not always as they appear. For example, from behind some people mistake Chance Leo for a girl with long hair. Actually, he's a boy with a big heart.
In the summer of 2010, when Chance was 9 years old, he saw a show about donating hair to make wigs for kids with cancer.
"So I said 'Mom, can I do that? And she was cooking dinner and she said 'Do what?' and I said 'Grow my hair out for kids with cancer' and she said 'That would be great, honey'," says Chance.
Mom quickly learned that Chance was quite serious. He grew is hair out for two years. The longer it got, the more he was teased. People said things like: "Get your haircut stupid idiot."
But he stuck it out.
"My friends were very supportive. They helped me stay on my feet. My parents were very supportive," says Chance.
He even got a phone call from Green Bay Packer A.J. Hawk, who grew his own hair to donate and started a non-profit called Hawk's Locks for Kids.
"I thought it was really cool that I got to talk to him," says Chance.
And pretty cool that - like A.J. - he's helping kids with cancer.
"If I give my hair to them I'll have short hair so I won't get teased. And they'll have hair, so they won't get teased," says Chance, who's now 11-years-old.
In order to donate his hair, Chance had to grow ponytails that are 12 inches long. He did. In the family's kitchen, Chance's Mom gave him a haircut Tuesday, carefully preserving four ponytails.
With a little styling, Chance's good deed was done.
LINKS:
http://www.locksoflove.org/
http://hawkslocksforkids.org/share/
