KANDAHAR AIR FIELD, Afghanistan - She had long hair all of her life, but during a deployment here she decided to donate 13 inches of it to Locks of Love.
"I never had short hair," said Staff Sgt. Jenet Akerson, 451st Expeditionary Communications Flight Network Control Center technician. "I was raised in Hawaii; my mom has long hair, so it's part of my heritage."
Sergeant Akerson said the decision was difficult to make, but one influenced by her admiration for her mother-in-law after learning she had alopecia. Alopecia is a condition of patchy hair loss, most noticeably on the scalp.
"I never would have even thought to do something like that had it not been for her being an influence in my life," said Sergeant Akerson. "She has a heart of gold and is the strongest woman I know, so really it was a dedication to her."
She explained she wanted to be with her mother-in-law when she cut her hair, but decided to cut it while deployed because she wanted to donate healthy hair and the water here was damaging hers.
Great story - worth the read - see it here with pictures