Five Lemont Sisters Donate Hair for Locks of Love

Five Lemont sisters teamed up for a good cause Sunday, donating more than 50 inches of hair for Locks of Love.

The non-profit organization provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children who suffer from long-term hair loss due to medical conditions.

The Woods—Anna, 17, Alyssa, 15, Leah, 12, and Jillian, 12—were joined by older sister Katelyn Wood Rathbun, 27, at in Lemont, where they each had more than 10 inches chopped from their hair.

Anna, Leah and Jillian donated to Locks of Love in July 2010, and have been growing their hair to do it again. This time, Katelyn and Alyssa decided to join.

"They decided it would be fun to do it together, which I thought was really amazing," said Marcia Wood, the girls' mother. "We just had to wait until they all had long enough hair."

, 13448 Archer Ave., offers free haircuts to customers who donate their hair to Locks of Love. The minimum donation for a hairpiece is 10 inches.

Marcia Wood said her family spends a lot of time fundraising and volunteering for organizations like Locks of Love.

Alyssa suffers from Ataxia-telangiectasia (A-T), a progressive, degenerative disease that causes a general lack of muscle control and immunodeficiency, and eventually confines the patient to a wheelchair.

Since Alyssa's diagnosis, the Woods have actively supported the A-T Children's Project, a nonprofit that raises funds for A-T research.

"We have done a lot of fundraisers for A-T, so Alyssa was excited to do something for someone else," Marcia Wood said Sunday.

The Woods said they hope to continue donating to Locks of Love in the future.

"Everyone needs a haircut every once in a while, so you might as well do it for a good cause," Anna Wood said.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Like what you see? Sign up for our daily email newsletter.

Like us on Facebook for a slightly different take.