There’s nothing like feeling and looking your best. Knowing this, an eight-year-old aspiring hairstylist has dedicated her skill and technique to the betterment of children who suffer from cancer. Lauren Laray is not only a hairstylist, but a wig designer. The third-grader creates wigs for children who’ve lost their hair as a result of chemotherapy. Laray has gotten nationwide praise from her hometown and beyond for her gracious acts.
“My best friend’s little sister has cancer and I just felt bad for her,” said Laray in an interview with KSNV News 3. Laray is not only the star of her own YouTube channel, but an honor student. “Some of them will be blonde; some of them will be redheaded for redheaded little girls,” says Laray innocently. “I’ll have a whole bunch because other girls have other styles for their hair.” By the summer, Laray hopes to have made 30 wigs that will ultimately be donated to the Nevada Childhood Cancer Foundation.
Leukemia accounts for 30 percent of all cancers detected in children. An average of 10,400 cases of cancer have been found in children under the age of 15 since 2007. While cancer is still relatively rare in this age group, it’s the leading cause of death by disease. According to the American Cancer Society, more than one million people get cancer each year. However, with children like Lauren, the fight back to optimal health can be done in style.
Lauren Laray supports her quest for providing child-cancer patients with wigs through her GoFundMe page. The total cost to make one wig is $30. The Las Vegas hair protege says she uses a crochet needle, a weave cap, two packs of hair and a bow to complete her variation of wigs. To some, creating a wig can be a daunting task. However Laray says her reward is knowing she is helping others, “I won’t need a thank you, I’ll just see a smile on their face and I’ll be happy.”
