WDBJ7 Roanoke News and Weather NRV Lynchburg Danville | Miss Virginia 2008 cuts her hair off to help children with cancer
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From luxurious locks, to short and shaved, Miss Virginia 2008 is sporting a new hairdo. While this is no fashion statement, there is a message behind it.
At the beginning of this year Tara Wheeler made a pledge to shave her head, all to help children with cancer.
This was no easy pay up, her entire life, she had never had her hair shorter than a bob, just above her shoulders.
As her locks fell Monday so did the tears.
"They were good tears, kind of anxious, a little bit nervous," said Wheeler.
It's been said a woman's hair is her crowning glory, so you can only imagine what it was like for this pageant queen to shed her locks Monday.
"It's just hair but it's part of who you are," said Wheeler.
But Wheeler could help but think of all the spirits she was lifting, the young cancer patients she'd met this past year who didn't have the choice about losing their hair.
"Understanding how tough it is for them to not only feel sick but to feel down on the way that they look because they've lost their hair and they are being made fun of. For someone they look up to also have lost their hair is really big thing from them," said Wheeler.
This former Miss Virginia is also out to prove that beauty is much deeper than just how you look.
"Beauty is what beauty does. It's about what we gives to others and I really hope that message comes across," said Wheeler.
So this is Wheeler's way of giving back, to help raise money for research for children with cancer through the St. Baldrick's Foundation. More importantly to let the children know they are not alone in this fight.
Wheeler has raised 50-thousand dollars for the organization. To learn more about her fundraising efforts click here.
