The kindest cut of all

Laura Haggart just brought an end to a five-year endeavor.

Although she did it willingly, there was still a bit of regret once she actually went through with it.

She quietly sat down in Linda Rich's chair Friday morning and watched as the hairstylist with burgundy toenails scalped her.

"Good-bye, hair," she uttered, holding up the now-independent ponytail.

The ponytail is scheduled to join five others collected by Shear Designs in Carson City to be mailed to Locks of Love, a nonprofit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children with long-term medical hair loss.

The donation is especially fitting for Haggart, who is scheduled to start chemotherapy today to combat breast cancer.

"I don't want to be bald either, but I have no choice. It's going to fall out. If I can help someone else before it does, then it's OK," Haggart said.

Haggart said getting the new shorter hairstyle helped to keep her mind off the coming therapy.

"Right now, I am just taking it one day at a time and thinking about my grandkids. I'm not really worried about it, but my daughter is very worried and my granddaughter is scared," Haggart said.

While Rich worked to create a shorter look, Haggart talked about what she would do once the chemo regiment begins.

"I don't want a wig. They are hot, and they're itchy," Haggart said. "I figured I'd just use bandanas or put a little bow on top like I used to do to my granddaughter."

Haggart said the shock of finding out she had cancer wasn't something you can prepare to deal with.

"I never had a history of cancer in my family. It's a little scary. I thought it would happen to anybody else but me," she said.

As Rich finished up, Haggart got her first look at the now-shorter hair.

"That's nice, but are you going to come over and make it look like this every day? Because I can't," she said jokingly.

• Contact reporter Jarid Shipley at jshipley@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1217.