Patrice Sharp is about to say goodbye to her long, flowing locks, undergoing the ‘chop’ this Tuesday, November 6,  to help not one but two great causes.

Patrice, 27, whose hair is currently more than half her 158-centimetre height, will be slashing it off and donating the hair to Wigs for Kids, a charity that creates wigs for children who’ve lost their hair due to alopecia, burns, chemotherapy or other medical treatments.

While a little nervous about the end result, Patrice said hair loss can be a distressing side effect of medical treatments, and she hopes she can make a difference.

“I'm excited and nervous. It's been a while since I've had short hair!” she said.“Donating my hair, I hope to help someone feel beautiful and confident again.”

Along with donating her hair, Patrice is also raising money for Ronald McDonald House Charities Central West, a cause that is particularly close to her heart.

In 2017, Patrice’s sister Amelia had to undergo surgery for severe and life-threatening scoliosis. During her treatment and recovery, Patrice and her family were given accommodation at Ronald McDonald House Randwick, which made all the difference in a difficult time, she said.

“For my family, it helped us stay together while my sister went through this surgery… it also helped with the financial battle that could have been upon us, if we had to travel back and forth or pay for motel rooms or things like that,” Patrice said.

“It can be very overwhelming for anyone. So having that opportunity where all of the family could come and visit and feel a bit more like a home and then being close and able to see my sister as well, that was really important for us.”

Originally from Cowra, Patrice moved to Orange earlier this year and has since become a volunteer at our local Ronald McDonald House. The fact that it is also the first Ronald McDonald House to specifically cater for families of children suffering from mental illness is also important, she said.

“I'm on a lot of different community groups back home in Cowra and one of those is the Cowra Region Suicide Awareness Group, so all about keeping families going through mental health or recent suicides, giving them all of the information that they may need and some help moving through those steps,” Patrice said.

“So that was my reason for choosing Ronald McDonald House Central West.. because of the mental health aspect, as well as all of the support that they give so many families like mine back in 2017. A place to feel like a home, to have food there that they can utilise and and just take some of that financial stress off them.”

Patrice will be getting her hair chopped off on Tuesday, November 6 at the Salon Collective in Cowra, who have donated their time. nShe hopes to raise $5,000 for Ronald McDonald House Charities Central West and has started a GoFundMe page where people can give online. Simply scan the QR code below, or visit www.gofundme.com and search for “Locks of Love: The Big Chop for Charity!”

“I just want to add that I do appreciate everyone who has donated or is going to donate. I'm very humbled and appreciative of all of your support as well,” Patrice concluded.