Volunteers are giving young cancer patients a head start

About 120 volunteers have donated their hair to Changchun barber Liu Jianjun over the past 18 months to help children with cancer who have lost hair due to the side effects of chemotherapy.

Liu, 50, who runs a barber shop in the capital of Northeast China's Jilin province, launched a charity program with a local media outlet in June 2018.

"I provided free haircuts for them and another 80 volunteers posted me their hair," he said. "All the hair has been turned into wigs by a company in Shanghai free of charge."

More than 100 children in the city have received free wigs that can help them regain their self-esteem and self-confidence during cancer treatment.

Patients receiving chemotherapy, especially children, have weaker immunity and can only wear wigs made from human hair, not synthetic fibers.

"A wig needs about two donors' hair, with a length of more than 40 centimeters," Liu said. "A wig made from real hair costs several thousand yuan up to 10,000 yuan ($1,450), which seems a huge burden for most of the young patients' families."