Locks of Love; Waukesha woman makes 10th donation for kids in need
OCONOMOWOC, Wis. - A Waukesha woman waits years between trips to the salon. But on Wednesday, Nov. 20, her haircut was one for the record books.
Change does not come often for Sam Kresse.
"It’s going to be probably, like, to around shoulder-length. A little curly," Kresse said. "I usually go two years in between each cut."
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Kresse grows her hair out so there's at least ten inches to cut off. That is the minimum amount needed to give to Locks of Love.
Every other year for the past two decades, Kresse has gone in for a trim. This is her tenth donation. When you add it up over the years, Sam has donated about 8 ½ feet worth of hair.
Sam Kresse
"Just the fact that she’s done it for 20 years is amazing," said Valerie Kresse, Sam's mother.
Valerie Kresse knows the exact moment her daughter became a "cut above the rest." When Sam was a kid, doctors discovered a hole in her heart.
"When I was 8 years old, I had open-heart surgery," Sam Kresse said.
Sam Kresse met other kids during frequent visits to Children's Wisconsin. Many of them cancer patients – the kind of kids Locks of Love makes free wigs for.
"Each prothesis is made from a mold of the recipient's head. It fits them and only them," said Madonna Coffman, president.
Coffman spoke to FOX6 News by Zoom from her home in Florida – to congratulate Sam Kresse on her donation.
"10 times might be a record that I’ve heard," Coffman said.
Donations are combined from a bunch of different people to create one wig. Sam's donations equal the amount needed for one full wig.
The little girl who once had a hole in her heart is growing and giving to help other kids feel complete.
"I’ve just glad that I’m able to help out," Sam Kresse said.
Sam Kresse
Locks of Love said it received about 400 donations from Wisconsin in the last two years. In that same period, the organization has been able to help five kids in this state.
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There is a four to five month wait for custom wigs. Locks of Love sends a temporary wig immediately until it is ready.