Girl Donates Hair to Friend in Need, 5
G R A N I T E F A L L S, Wash., March 8 -- Best friends Taylor Schmidt and Madisen Jacken are inseparable.
Until recently, Taylor, 5, had long thick blond hair. But Madisen, 5, had no hair, because the disease alopecia had taken it all.
Taylor, just a kindergartner, knew what she wanted to do for her best friend and classmate — give the gift of herself.
"Somebody is going to make a hat for her, Madisen, yeah a hat," Taylor said, "and sew my hair into the hat."
Taylor's hair was sent to a company in Florida called Hip Hat, which spent two weeks sewing it into a custom-made hat.
Now Madisen can sport a long pony tail of her very own.
"What are you doing?" Madisen asked recently as the two played.
"I touched your hair," Taylor said.
"Eeeeeee!" Madisen shrieked, as they burst into laughter.
Hair for Friends
The company that makes the hats usually uses anonymous hair. But after making the hat for Madisen, it decided to offer custom hats with hair donated by friends and loved ones.
Asked if she'd do it again, Taylor said she's already planning it.
"What if I growed my hair to the ground and gave it to Maddy and someone sewed it?" she said.
April Zepeda is a reporter for the ABCNEWS affiliate KOMO-TV in Seattle.
