In Memory of Shelley: Aaliyah Bagley gives 12 inches hair to Wigs for Kids
CALHOUN — Aaliyah Bagley has always been known as the girl with long hair and headphones at school. But following a dramatic haircut and a 12-inch donation to Wigs for Kids on Friday afternoon at Camryn McClaine Salon, she will require a new calling card.
“She has been growing her hair out for more than 10 years,” her mother, Theresa Bagley, said. “But she got it cut and donated it to Wigs for Kids because of Shelley.”
“Shelley” is a reference to the late Shelley Snopek Lipsey Stailey, a former Calhoun High School special education teacher who died of cancer in November 2018. Theresa Bagley worked with Shelley in the school’s special education department when Aaliyah was a child and the two women became best friends. As a result, Aaliyah developed a close relationship with Shelley.
“Aaliyah and Shelley had a special relationship,” Theresa Bagley said. “Aaliyah is autistic, and she was very close with her. It was hard for her to hear Shelley had cancer.”
The diagnosis came in 2016. Aaliyah immediately offered to donate Shelley her hair. Theresa Bagley said it started because Aaliyah already said she had long enough hair to “share” some. Shelley resisted.
“She said, ‘Don’t you do it, not yet,’” Theresa explained. “She really didn’t want her to do it unless she was sure it’s what she wanted to do.”
Aaliyah never stopped wanting to donate, not even when Shelley passed away.
“She told me, ‘I still want to donate it,’” Theresa said. “I told her it was her hair, and we’d do whatever she wanted to do to honor Shelley.”
On Friday, that meant neatly braiding and slowly trimming off 12 inches of hair to give to Wigs for Kids, an organization that donates custom human hair wigs to children suffering from extreme hair loss, often as a result of illnesses like cancer.
“If she can inspire someone else to donate their hair too, that is something we would love to see,” Theresa said.
Wigs for Kids is a nonprofit hair donation organization that has been serving children suffering from hair loss since 1981. For more information about how to donate, visit www.wigsforkids. org/donate-your-hair/. For more information about applying for a wig, visit www. wigsforkids.org/apply-fora-wig/.