Dassia Stripe cut her hair in August to raise money for the charity (credit: Saint Francis Hospice)
Dassia Stripe, from Greenhithe in Kent, was looking forward to her tenth birthday when she heard an appeal from the charity on the radio.
“I heard the hospice wasn’t raising much money because of social distancing, so I wanted to help,” she said.
The charity has been unable to hold fundraising events during the coronavirus pandemic.
“I was thinking of ways to raise money,” Dassia continued. “When there was a heatwave, my hair was annoying me, so I thought I’d cut it off for charity.”
She agreed to chop off 17 inches of her waist-long brown locks which had been seven years in the making.
After setting up a GoFundMe page, Dassia managed raise an incredible £474.
The 10-year-old also did not want her hair to go to waste and decided to donate it to the Little Princess Trust, which provides free real-hair wigs to children and young people who have lost their hair through cancer treatment.
“It’s sad that some children don’t have hair because it’s a really special thing,” Dassia explained.
“Their hair is their independence, so they need it. I wanted to let the children know that there are people who care. My heart told me to make other people happy.”
Dassia knows a lot about the hospice as her Aunty Maria works in the community nursing team.
“The hospice makes a sad time happy for families and creates magical memories,” she said. “The patients don’t die alone or sad. People need to be happy – especially when it’s close to the end of their life.”
Dassia encouraged everyone who is considering fundraising for the charity to “follow your heart”.
Her mum, Astel-Maria Stripe, said she is incredibly proud of her daughter: “Dassia is so caring. I’ve always said that when she’s older, she’ll be a nurse, teacher, or carer.
“I’m totally in awe that I get to be this lovely little girl’s mum.”
Anyone who would like to raise money for Saint Francis Hospice is encouraged to contact the charity by emailing fundraising@sfh.org.uk or calling 01708 771431.
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Tags: Saint Francis Hospice