For 8-year-old Thomas Moore, letting your hair down means more than just relaxing. The Maryland boy has been growing his hair out for the past two years and on September 10, he had an inspiring haircut that made the whole journey worthwhile.
Back in 2014, Moore and his mother, Angilea Pulos, watched a video on Facebook about a 5-year-old girl named Kyssi Andrews, who had been battling cancer and had lost most of her hair. This video sparked a conversation between mother and son about the disease and the effects of chemotherapy. Moore was struck with the idea that he could grow his own hair out and donate wigs to children with cancer—all to honor Kyssi Andrews.
For the next two years, Moore's hair grew and grew. At first, the Afro atop his head was manageable, but soon, braids were necessary to tame all that hair. Moore's aunt, Amber Ray, tells Buzzfeed News that his little head was too tender for the braids, and so Moore opted to wear his wild mane down. It wasn't always easy—in fact, there were several times when Moore wanted to quit. Each time, he had to “refocus on the reason for growing it,” Ray says.
Finally, September 10, 2016 was the big day. Moore felt a little nervous about what he would look like after the haircut, Ray reports. After all, he had been living the past two years with hair down to his tailbone. But after the hair was off, Moore felt so good and hoped that he had made people happy. His aunt tweeted a before and after photo, which shows Moore holding up three donation-ready ponytails of hair. In an interview with Mashable, Angilea revealed that each ponytail measured sixteen inches. Since chopping his luscious locks off, Ray's photo of Moore has gone viral on Twitter and has even caught the attention of retired NBA player Derek Anderson's foundation Acts of Kindness, which will give Moore an Acts of Kindness award on October 14th at the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, Kentucky.
Above photo credit: Amber Ray
8-year-old Thomas Moore wanted to grow his hair out to donate to children with cancer.
At first, his Afro was a manageable size.
Over the next two years, it continued to grow…
…and grow…
…and grow!
Look how long it got!
Moore had enough hair to donate three whole ponytails! You're an inspiration, Thomas!
via [Mashable, Bored Panda]
All images via Thomas Moore's mother, Angilea Pulos, unless otherwise stated.
