My Catholic Standard - Bella Bethesda Salon

'An amazing gift'
Lourdes girls have hair cut for Locks
of Love, to honor their teacher
December 22, 2011
Mark Zimmermann
Demonstrating their love and support for their teacher, Kate Truax,
who has been battling leukemia since this past spring, 28 girls from
Our Lady of Lourdes School in Bethesda had their hair cut on Dec. 5
at Bella Bethesda Salon, and donated 10 inches of their hair to
Locks of Love, an organization that provides hairpieces to children
suffering hair loss due to cancer or other medical conditions. In
June, the Catholic Standard ran an article about 71 boys at Our
Lady of Lourdes School who had their heads shaved to show
solidarity with Truax, and they surprised her via a Skype
connection. When Truax saw the boys with their shaved heads, she
exclaimed, "You guys are rock stars!" (See www.cathstan.org .) On
Oct. 25, Truax underwent a bone marrow transplant at Johns
Hopkins University Hospital. This past week, members of the Our
Lady of Lourdes school community and staff members at Bella
Bethesda Salon talked about the girls' Locks of Love donation in
honor of Miss Truax.
Katie May, a stylist at Bella Bethesda Salon, cuts the hair of
Gabriella Capizzi, a fifth grader at Our Lady of Lourdes School,
as part of the Dec. 5 Locks of Love effort. (CS photos by
Michael Hoyt)
Kiersten Pels, Our Lady of Lourdes eighth grader: "It was really
meaningful. There are girls our age without any hair, and we can do
something about that. It's a great feeling." Regarding Miss Truax,
she said, "She's so brave... She never gave up. She (has) kept her
faith and optimism. Her strength shows even if you go through a
hard time, there's hope, keep at it... Miss Truax's faith in God (has)
helped her a lot, and she (has) inspired us to keep our faith in God
strong."
When asked how the Locks of Love effort fit in with the Advent and
Christmas season, Pels said, "God gave his only son as a gift. The
least we can give is our hair that will help someone else
Our Lady of Lourdes eighth grader Sydney Baker holds the hair
that she was donating to Locks of Love in honor of her
teacher, Kate Truax, who is battling leukemia. Twenty-eight
girls from Lourdes participated in the campaign. At right is
stylist Rebecca Garcia of Bella Bethesda Salon, which hosted
the event.
Mary Claire Sheridan, Lourdes eighth grader: "So many girls did it for Miss Truax. It was really cool. Everyone, no
matter how long her hair was, the girls took it off, even if it was really short."
About Miss Truax, she said, "I admire her personality and her optimism. Whenever she was my teacher, there was
never a day I could be sad... I've learned from her example that there's little things you can do every day to make a
difference in someone's life. Our (school's) motto is faith, excellence and service. By cutting our hair, and the boys
shaving their heads, it was service to our community and to our teacher."

Casey Magersupp, Lourdes eighth grader: "What I thought was most touching was Bella Salon didn't know it was
being televised. They did it out of the kindness of their hearts, and stayed after work. I know that she (Miss Truax)
appreciated it, and it was a lot of fun for her.
"What I admire the most about Miss Truax (is) when I first met her, she made your day better. She brought this
great vibe to the room. She lit up the room. She was fun to have (as a teacher)... We demonstrated our motto
when we cut our hair for Locks of Love. We had faith in what we were doing, and Miss Truax has faith in God. We
demonstrated excellence because all the girls who could cut their hair, did. It was a good act of service on our part
and (on the part of) the women of Bella Salon."
Anna-Sophia Capizzi, Lourdes eighth grader: "Some of the girls didn't know Miss Truax. They knew her through us,
and our community is so strong, they were able to do it for her without knowing her. She (Miss Truax) was always
so strong, she never got beaten down by something. She didn't care who you were or where you came from, she
was always there for you...They always teach us here to give back to others and do things for others because it's
right. This is something we worked on without needing to be asked to do it." When asked about donating their hair
during the Christmas season, she said, "God gives us so many gifts, like our families. This is a temporary gift that
means a lot."
David Long, Our Lady of Lourdes School's assistant principal: "A couple of girls went to see her (Miss Truax) on the
day after (their hair was cut)... Tomorrow, the middle school will sing Christmas carols outside her house, about 67
of us (are going)...The children at this school have consistently impressed me, by their openness to give and their
sacrifice. They did things with such grace... What we've all learned from Miss Truax's situation is grace, that she's
had even in the toughtest of times. She was so impressed and moved by the girls' commitment to the Locks of
Love campaign. We pray for Miss Truax every morning and afternoon (at school), at daily and Sunday Masses and
at our sporting events."
When asked about the Locks of Love effort taking place in the Advent and Christmas season, he said, "I think it was
a wonderful way for us to remember what's really important...This lets us remember how important our family
and friends are...(and) to stay close to God. Our pastor, Msgr. (Edward) Filardi has said, 'We don't pray as a last
resort, but as a first resort.'" When asked how Truax is doing after the bone marrow transplant, Long said, "She's
getting better every day... (but) there are still more hurdles (to get past). So far, all the news has been extremely
positive."
Miss Truax, he said, has adopted the motto from the TV show Friday Night Lights, "Clear eyes, full hearts, can't
lose." Long noted,' She's adopted that as her motto. We say that before each (CYO) basketball game."
Katie May, a hair stylist at Bella Bethesda Salon: "It meant so much for us to be able to help..The girls weren't
thinking of themselves, they were just thinking of their teacher. It's amazing they were so giving." She said the
girls' gift reflected the Christmas spirit of giving. "We felt really privileged they wanted us to do that with them. It
just made us feel we were doing it for her, too. "
Stacy Dabney Ramirez, co-owner of Bella Bethesda Salon: (Ramirez attended Our Lady of Lourdes School in the
1980s, and her sister Lindsey Dabney, a co-owner of Bella Salon, also attended Lourdes) "It definitely meant a lot. I
was an elementary school teacher (in North Carolina, teaching third and fourth graders)...To see these young girls
do this for their teacher, I wanted to be a part of it. To see us come together made me feel good." Ramirez said it is
not easy to have that much of your hair cut. "For how long it takes to grow it, you become attached to it. I saw
them (the girls) come together, they were just so supportive of each other."
Their gift on behalf of their teacher with cancer, and to help other children, was inspiring to Ramirez, who said,
"That's an example to us as adults, you can make a difference... I thought it was an amazing gift."