LOVE IS IN THE HAIR.

DR. WILLIAM DOHERTY IS A FAMILY AND GENERAL DENTIST BY TRADE; HOWEVER, HE HAS AN UNEXPECTED PASSION THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH DENTISTRY. INSTEAD, IT IS ALL ABOUT HELPING CHILDREN WHO SUFFER FROM HAIR LOSS DUE TO HEALTH CONDITIONS SUCH AS CANCER.

Doherty’s private dental practice, which he’s owned since December 2019, is in Tecumseh. His patients never know how long his hair might be when they come in for an appointment. It may be freshly cut, it might be chin length, or it might be almost a full eight inches long, depending on where he is in the hair donation journey.

After undergraduate school, in 2011, Doherty knew some people undergoing cancer treatments. Chemotherapy and radiation led to significant hair loss, prompting him to donate hair. After doing some research, he noticed a common theme.

“A couple of companies end up selling more of the donated hair than actually giving it away as donations. Some were very specific in what they wanted for actual hair – the hair needed to be a certain length and non-treated,” he said. Eventually, he found Children With Hair Loss. “They take any donated hair as long as it’s more than eight inches,” said Doherty. “But the hair can be [chemically] treated, gray, curly, straight, any color. I also like that they’re relatively local.”

Children With Hair Loss (CWHL) is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization that provides human hair replacements at no cost to children and young adults facing medically related hair loss. The organization is 42 miles east of Tecumseh in South Rockwood, Mich. Its website states that when a child’s hair is lost for whatever reason, the painful effects are far deeper than just cosmetic. “Each year, the number of children requesting our hair replacements increases…,” it says.

Love is in the Hair continued...

The founder, Regina Villemure, is a former cosmetology instructor, hairstylist, and hair replacement specialist. She founded CWHL in 2000 after her niece was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia at age three. During five years of chemotherapy, Villemure noticed many children in the hospital wearing adultsized synthetic wigs. Realizing that human hair replacements look the most natural on children, and acknowledging that they are expensive, she made it her mission to help “cover young heads to heal young hearts.” The organization provides a customized human hair replacement and care kit to over 600 children annually.

Doherty was fortunate to tour CWHL’s facility to learn about the process, and said they are all about helping others. He said that CWHL takes all the donated hair and sorts it by texture and color. “One person’s hair doesn’t necessarily go to one other person getting it donated to. Instead, it gets compiled into groups, and they make wigs out of the big groupings,” he said. CWHL then donates the hair to any child, age 18 and under, who experiences hair loss for various medical reasons. “It doesn’t necessarily have to be cancer patients. It could be burn victims, accidents, alopecia, or any reason a child has hair loss,” Doherty said. “They will donate a free wig each year until the child turns 18, and a care package with shampoos and things to help care for the hair.

“There’ve been people along the way that I’ve known who’ve had cancer and such. It’s always a thing that’s part of almost everybody’s life. Everybody knows someone or has had personal experience with cancers,” said Doherty. He knows firsthand how hard childhood can be. As a self-proclaimed outcast when he was young, he realizes a child’s struggles when experiencing hair loss. “Kids are hard on each other. If they have any reason to make fun of each other, they will do it,” he said. “Balding will make kids an even bigger target, so anything I can do to help, I want to do it.”

While the process is low effort for him, the impact is enormous, making it a meaningful and rewarding contribution for him and others who donate. “It’s something I can continue to do that is pretty low impact. It’s not an everyday effort; I can still go about my daily life until I eventually donate,” said Doherty. “It takes a little time for the hair to grow, but I try to help.”

This spring will be Doherty’s fourth time donating his hair to CWHL. He credits good genes for his ability to grow his hair long enough to donate. “My dad and grandpa both have full heads of hair,” he said. So, while gray sprinkles his hair, he said it doesn’t matter. Doherty said it takes one to one and a half years to grow his hair long enough to donate. “I was on track to donate another time before this (spring), but I had to get it cut in October of 2021 because I had to look nice for my wedding,” he said. He was only about an inch away but didn’t quite make it to the finish line.

His office displays certificates from CWHL recognizing Doherty for his donations, so patients who have never heard of the organization can check into it. “At least one patient and a relative of a patient have donated because they saw the plaques in my office,” said Doherty. In addition, several hair salons in the area will cut hair for donation to CWHL, and some will cut and style a wig for a CWHL recipient.

Doherty was born and raised in Southeast Michigan, where he resides with his wife, Megan. He attended Saginaw Valley State University as an undergraduate and received his dental degree from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Dentistry in 2013. When he isn’t engaged in dental work and educating patients about dental health, he enjoys playing and watching hockey, attending concerts, live trivia nights, movies, and outdoor activities. n