A cut above: Memphis graphic designer Patrick Akers prepares blond tresses for fifth donation to Locks of Love Health Tips

A cut above: Memphis graphic designer Patrick Akers prepares blond tresses for fifth donation to Locks of Love

Patrick Akers isn’t a high-maintenance kind of guy, but for the last 10 years, he has been taking extra special care of his hair.

“I think everyone assumes I’m a hippie because I have long hair, but what people thought about me has never really bothered me too much,” said Akers, who is an artist and graphic designer. “I do what I do.”

In August, Akers plans to make his fifth donation of hair to the nonprofit organization Locks of Love, which creates wigs for financially disadvantaged children dealing with hair loss caused by disease or medical treatments.

Each donation took about two years to grow, said Akers, who usually keeps his dark-blond hair tied back in a ponytail, so it has been a while since he had to think about having his own personal hairstyle.

Akers works as the art director for RSVP Magazine and is the husband of WMC-TV Channel 5 news anchor Kym Clark. They have a 5-year-old daughter, Ginger, and Akers has a son, Liam, who lives in New York.

Akers said he started growing his hair in 2000 after a divorce. A year and a half later he was ready for a change, so he went to Dabbles Hair Company in Overton Square in Midtown for a new do.

“I went to my hairdresser and she said, ‘You know, you’ve only got an inch or two to go before you can make a donation to Locks of Love,’” said Akers. “I said, ‘You know what, I’ll do that.’”

Stylists at Dabbles make a point of suggesting it when they see a good candidate, said Debbie Cohen, owner of the salon, which has sent about 30 donations of hair to Locks of Love each year for at least the last 15 years. More women donate than men, she said.

“It’s a big deal that we can cut your hair off and give you something pretty, but we’re also helping somebody,” said Cohen.

To make a donation, the cut hair must be at least 10 inches long, completely dry and held together in small ponytails or braids.

Color-treated hair cannot be used because of a chemical reaction that occurs during the manufacturing of the wig.

The stylist mails the hair to Locks of Love’s office in West Palm Beach, Fla., where volunteers sort the hair by length and color and prepare it for the manufacturing process.

“Hair salons are some of our biggest supporters,” said Lauren Kukkanaa, communications director for Locks of Love. “We don’t put forth any funds for advertising or marketing. We just have been very fortunate for the volunteer efforts we have.”

Akers was happy to help out at first, but then something happened that brought the mission home.

In 2007, he had already donated hair three times and was working on a fourth when his mother went to the hospital and learned that she had stage-four lung cancer, which had metastasized to her brain and bones.

She had chemotherapy and lost her hair.

“As soon as all of her hair was gone she called me up and said, ‘Maybe I can have a wig made of your hair,’” he said. “Having that in my life and knowing the impact of losing your hair, losing what you look in the mirror and identify as yourself, it has a huge impact.”

Akers’ mother died six months later.

Kukkanaa said cancer is actually the No. 2 reason children apply for wigs; tops is a disease called alopecia, which causes full or partial hair loss.

Madonna Coffman, who spearheaded the organization of Locks of Love as a nonprofit group in 1997 and is now president of the group’s board of directors, developed alopecia after a hepatitis vaccination. Her daughter suffered from it as well.

Families of children with hair loss can apply directly to Locks of Love for a wig, which is provided free or on a sliding scale. Children who have short-term or immediate hair loss needs may receive a synthetic wig, as it takes about four months to make a custom-made prosthetic wig.

The prosthetic wigs are made of six to 10 donations of human hair like Akers’, which are attached to a silicone cap shaped to a customized mold of the child’s head. The silicone cap vacuum seals to the head without adhesive.

“The children can play sports, go swimming, do gymnastics, whatever — it’s not going to fall off or be pulled of their heads,” said Kukkanaa. “It really gives them a sense of security and confidence.”

Akers said he intends to take a break from growing his hair for a while, so that he can have a real hairstyle for the first time in a decade.

“I’m considering going bald this time,” he said.

In the meantime, he supports cancer patients by selling his paintings at Painted Planet in Cooper-Young, the proceeds of which go to support gallery owner Donna Bowers’ program, Healing Planet, which offers spa nights for women undergoing cancer treatments and their caregivers.

Still, Akers said Locks of Love hasn’t seen the last of him.

“God willing, if my hair isn’t too gray I may do it again,” said Akers. “It doesn’t cost anything. It’s just letting your hair grow out.”

Locks of Love

234 Southern Blvd., West Palm Beach, FL 33405-2701

Web: locksoflove.org

Phone: (561) 833-7332

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