Suffolk girl donates hair to chemotherapy wig charity

Mia was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia at 19 months old and is now in remission with her hair growing normally again

A 10-year-old girl who lost her hair through chemotherapy as a baby has donated 21 inches (53cm) of her locks to make a wig for another child.

Mia Hermon, from Leavenheath, Suffolk, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia at 19 months old.

She gave the hair to The Little Princess Trust, which makes wigs for children with cancer.

The charity said it was "incredibly grateful" and it would make a real difference to another child's life.

Before and after: Mia had her hair cut at Studio 56 Salon in Sudbury by owner Peter Hender, who donated the cut free of charge

Mia, who also raised £1,195 for the charity, said she "loves" her new hair.

She said: "I want to say thank you to all the people who donated money to me for my big haircut. I can't believe I had 21 inches cut off."

Wendy Tarplee-Morris, founder of The Little Princess Trust, said the money would help fund research to find kinder and more effective treatments for childhood cancers.

"As someone who has previously lost their own hair to cancer treatment, it is incredibly thoughtful of Mia to cut her long locks so they can help someone else at a very tough time in their life.

"We know just how important a person's hair can be to their identity and so we are incredibly grateful to Mia for such a selfless act."

Mia's mother, Donna Hermon, said she was "blown away" by the all the donations and messages of support for her daughter, who was in remission.

"We are very proud of her. Obviously, as her parents, we are quite biased and think she's amazing, but reading the comments on her fundraising page and seeing just how much she has raised just shows what other people think of her," she said.