Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Kirstin gets a new look for special charities
25 inches were chopped off her beautiful flowing locks
A caring Bargeddie nurse has undergone a dramatic transformation to do her bit for two “wonderful causes” close to her heart.
Kirstin Cross got 25 inches of her lovely long brunette locks chopped off – the first time in nearly two decades her hair has been snipped.
The 35-year-old decided to call for the chop to raise funds for the Maggie’s Centre near her University Monklands Hospital workplace, and a Crohn’s disease charity.
Kirstin, a staff nurse at the Airdrie hospital, is also donating her shorn locks to the Little Princess Trust organisation.
She told the Advertiser: “I work with a lot of patients who have Crohn’s disease and a couple of my colleagues have family members with the condition.
“As well as raising awareness of the disease, the funds will go towards the ongoing work of MAP vaccines, which could cure Crohn’s.
“The Maggie’s Centre does fantastic work and I was keen to do my bit for the team there as well.
“I was kindly invited along to the centre to see what the funding it receives goes towards and it just made me more determined to raise as much as possible.
“I have managed to collect around £800 thus far; donations are still coming in and I’m delighted with the generosity shown by everyone who has contributed.
“The total funds collected will be split equally between the Maggie’s Centre and the Crohn’s charity.”
While it was tough for Kirstin to bid farewell to her long locks, she is happy with her new look.
She said: “This is the shortest my hair has been since I was about 16 years old.
“I used to have the ‘Rachel from Friends’ hairstyle that a lot of women and girls had back in the late 90s.
“It was very strange seeing so much of my hair getting cut off but when I looked in the mirror afterwards I was glad to see it looked nice; and I can still do plenty with it.”
Kirstin got her hair cut at Style Studio salon in Airdrie and received plenty of welcome support on the day.
She explained: “It went really well as many of my work colleagues and friends came along to cheer me on.
“Some of them had just finished a shift and still turned out, which was really nice of them.
“Having everybody there really help put me at ease and they kept my spirits high by telling a lot of funny stories.”
Kirstin added: “I am going to donate my cut hair to the Little Princess Trust, which makes wigs for people aged up to 24 who have lost their hair due to cancer.
“I can’t think of a better fate for my hair than it helping to bring some joy to someone in need.”
Donations to Kirstin’s ongoing fundraising effort can be handed in to the Style Studio, based on Stirling Street.
To find out more the Crohn’s MAP vaccine effort, visit www. crohnsmapvaccine.com/