Kerala Policewoman Shaves Head, Donates Waist-Length Hair For Children With Cancer
Aparna Lavakumar lets out a hearty chuckle when she is asked how she felt after shaving off her long tresses. “I felt happy,” replies the Kerala policewoman and mother of two who just donated her hair for young cancer patients. As a senior civil police officer (SCPO) in Irinjalakuda, Thrissur, Aparna conducts regular awareness drives among school students. It was during one such awareness camp at a local school that she interacted with a student in Class 5, who was battling cancer.
The boy met with her after her session and expressed his dream to become a police officer someday. His bald head did not raise Aparna’s curiosity at first, but she could sense that the child was struggling to come to terms with his bald appearance. It was then a teacher revealed that the boy was a cancer survivor, and was often mocked by his classmates for losing his hair to chemotherapy. The young boy’s plight deeply moved Aparna. “It is hard for these children. They often face a lot of bullying at school for their bald heads. For younger cancer patients, the psychological distress of losing hair is extremely painful,” she shares.