Cancer survivor, 9, will donate hair to other youngsters facing treatment

Agatha will have her hair cut on March 1.

A nine-year-old girl from Fife who donated her hair to other children suffering from cancer when she was diagnosed with Leukaemia five years ago will do so again now she is in remission from the disease.

Agatha King will have her thick blonde hair shorn on March 1 for the Little Princess Trust, which provides free wigs to children and young people who have lost their hair through cancer treatment.

The youngster who ‘loves helping others’ is also raising money through sponsorship for Jak’s Den, a Livingston-based charity which supports young cancer-sufferers and their families and friends.

Agatha and her family have run several Park Runs for Jak's Den.

Jason Miller from Charlie Miller hair salon, who cut Agatha’s hair at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh before she began treatment in March 2015, will do so again almost exactly five years later.

Agatha is now two-and-a-half years in remission from Leukaemia and has become a healthy, happy nine-year-old.

“She’s doing really well,” said her mother Karen King.

“She’ll be three years in remission this year, and every year reduces the chances of it coming back.

“It’s really nice to be back here and it’s nice for Agatha to be wanting to donate in a positive way, rather than because she’s going to lose the hair anyway.

“I know hair isn’t the be all and end all but it was the thing that really made it feel real when she was diagnosed. It’s nice to look back and see how far we’ve come.”

Agatha is now back at school full-time in P5, after only attending around 50% of P1 and P2 following her diagnosis.

She enjoys a normal life including piano leassons, being a member of Brownies and loving arts and crafts.

Agatha getting her hair cut by Jason Miller in 2015.

“She’s been really good at giving back. We’ve lost children who were in treatment with her, and so she’s very aware of other people and trying to help them,” said Ms King.

Agatha is asking sponsors of her cutting her hair off to donate to her fundraising page for the Edinburgh Kiltwalk in September for Jak’s Den.

She has also done several park runs with family in preparation for the event.

“It’s wonderful to see her developing,” said Ms King.

“We’re very proud of her, what she has overcome and the person she’s becoming.”

Agatha will be the youngest of 29 people getting their hair cut off to donate to the Little Princess Trust (LPT) at Charlie Miller in Edinburgh to celebrate the leap year on March 1.

Managing Director Jason Miller said: “Our Charlie Miller teams are blown away by the difference the work of Little Princess Trust makes to the lives of young people and their families who are going through incredibly difficult times.

“Little Princess Trust are active fundraisers and produce their own wigs and its always looking for hair donations so, with 2020 being a leap year and an opportunity to do something special with the extra day, the company decided to host a hair donation event for the Trust.

“We launched a social media call out for 29 people to donate their hair and within the first 24 hours we had 21 responses.”