Chennai-based Cherian Foundation supports cancer patients suffering hair loss

The private charitable trust provides free wigs to hospitals for them to donate to underprivileged cancer patients

Almost every member of the Srivatsan household in Vadapalani has had a ‘hair-raising’ experience in recent times. Forty-two-year-old Srivatsan Mohan grew his hair till it was 12-inches-long and made the cut for donation.

When he donated his hair in June 2021, unknown to himself, Srivatsan was inspiring his son, nine-year-old Surya, who gave away his hair last month. Srivatsan’s wife and daughter – Smitha and Shreya — have donated their tresses at least twice.

It is remarkable that an increasing number of men donate their hair for the making of wigs for cancer patients. The Cherian Foundation, a private charitable trust, has data to bolster this view: Since 2019, there have been 3833 donors and more than 400 of them are men.

Sara Benjamin Cherian, trustee, The Cherian Foundation, says it is common to see mother-daughter and college girls grow their hair to donate it for this cause, but seeing men and children doing it is refreshing.

Hair donors among children are clearly on the rise. Recently, 13-year-old VS Yadhukrishnan donated 36 cm of his hair after growing it for more than two years, taking ridicule from peers in his stride.

“Our youngest donor is five-years-old,” says Sara.

With more people getting diagonised with cancer, demand for wigs has shot up.