Iris and Adam Stoner faced the chop earlier this week when they took their chairs in front of a mirror at the Focus salon to cut their hair, which hadn’t seen a scissors since before the COVID lockdown nearly two years ago.
Like everyone else on island, the mother and son had no access to hairdressers or barbers for several months when Cayman went into lockdown in March 2020. After lockdown ended, they decided to continue growing their locks and, as Adam had done in early 2019, donate the hair to the UK’s Little Princess Trust, which makes wigs for children who have lost their hair due to cancer treatments.
And, along the way, the Stoners also raised funds for the Cayman Islands Cancer Society.
Adam, 24, said that, as he’d already grown his hair and donated it once before, he decided as it was quite long by the time lockdown ended, that he’d just keep on going. “I thought it’d be fun to do it again for a good cause,” he said.
“It means a lot that I can give back, that I can do something to help. I can’t help with the medical side but… this is something I can do. It’s something small, but… any little thing helps and I hoped that this will help,” he said.
He added, “It was nice to do this with mom, just to have us both doing it… it was a bit of a bonding experience.”
The hair of both the Stoners was well below their waist by the time they succumbed to the hairdressers’ scissors. Adam had 17 inches of hair cut off, and now has short hair, while Iris had 13 inches cut off and her hair is now shoulder length.
The Focus Hair and Beauty salon cut their hair for free on Monday afternoon.
Focus owner Charlene Barnes, who cut Iris’s hair, said, “Basically, wherever I can help Miss Jen [Weber] and her crew at the Cayman Islands Cancer Society, I will. Jen does an amazing job for all in our community. It always reminds me there are people out there who are in need so I’ll help where possible. The Cancer Society holds a special place in my heart.”
Weber, the operations manager at the Cancer Society, said she and the charity are “always grateful that generous creative people think of ways to help us”.
She added, “We appreciate Iris and Adam so much. By doing this fundraising, they help us help others in need. Every donation makes a difference and when people organise opportunities for their friends and co-workers to support them, it raises more funds, and helps more people.”
Iris, who works as an editor at the Cayman Compass, said this was the longest her hair had ever been.
Explaining why she was motivated to spend many months with extremely long tresses, Iris said, “I was so proud of Adam for donating his hair back in 2019 to The Little Princess Trust, and I was excited at the chance to join him for his repeat effort.
“Helping the Cancer Society at the same time was also a no-brainer. My mother instilled in me the importance of giving back with her decades-long commitment to fundraising for the Cancer Society in the US. I hope others might be inspired to do the same, especially mothers and sons.”
So, will Adam be starting to grow out his hair again to donate it for a third time?
“I don’t know if there will be a third time or not,” he answered. “At the moment, I’m just enjoying the short hair and being able to feel the breeze on my neck. I don’t actually like having long hair, it can get annoying, as I’m sure a lot of people know. I’ll see how the year goes and I’ll see if my hair decides to grow that long again. Probably it will… We’ll see.”
Donations are still being accepted. To donate in person, go to the Cancer Society’s office on Maple Road so they can take a photo and say thank you. To donate online, go to https://www.caymangiftcertificates.com/cayman-islands, and include a note that it is in support of Iris and Adam Stoner’s fundraising efforts.
Related Videos
