Youngster donates hair to battle cancer

Gianna Petraglia is an exceptional child.
The eight-year-old not only excels in school, but also has done something that most would consider selfless - she has donated more than eight inches of her straight brown hair to Pantene Beautiful Lengths, which makes free wigs for women who are battling cancer.
The impetus for the third grader at Our Lady of Grace (OLG) in Howard Beach was her own health scare.
“I was going for tests [at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Hospital] and I saw kids, all girls, who lost their hair.”
Thankfully, Gianna is in good health, but the experience inspired her.
Her silky hair, which reached past her waist, was cut to chin length this past January.
“I was nervous,” she said frankly. “I never had my hair that short.”
Her mom, Maria, told The Queens Courier, “I’m on cloud nine, I couldn’t be more proud.”
Maria went on to explain that Gianna’s hair was just short of the 10 inches required for Locks of Love, the non-profit that provides hairpieces to disadvantaged children under the age of 18, but Beautiful Lengths only required eight.
For her act of altruism, Gianna’s story was featured in The Tablet.
Coleen Bucca, a 48-year-old mother of three and resident of Howard Beach was diagnosed with Stage I breast cancer in May 2007 and underwent a lumpectomy. She was so touched by Gianna’s story that she sent out a mass email, including one to Gianna, in which she wrote, “I’m not sure how old Gianna is, but I think this is just wonderful. Nick and Maria [Gianna’s parents] have certainly made sure their daughter (they also have a lovely little boy named Nicolas, 6) understands what is at the heart of being Catholic.”
And though the two had yet to meet, a note at the bottom of the email addressed to Gianna read, “As a bald cancer survivor myself, thank you so much for giving your lovely hair to someone like me. You’ll never know how much it means to have hair because it makes you feel healthy and normal and you gave that wonderful feeling to someone.”
On Thursday, April 24, Gianna and Bucca met for the first time.
“Gianna’s hair was so beautiful and long,” said Bucca. “I just noticed how beautiful it is now that she cut it.”
Bucca, who just finished a four-month course of radiation that included 33 straight days of treatment, opened up about her experience.
“You get to radiation and you think, ‘How much longer can this go on?,’” she said.
She described chemotherapy as “horrible and very debilitating.”
“The treatment leaves you with nothing to fight with,” she explained. “Losing your hair is so much worse than you think it’s going to be. You feel different from everyone else on the planet.”
Bucca’s cousin advised her to get a wig during treatment. She purchased a synthetic one and did not like it. She was also worried because it is flammable.
“I just kind of feel more conspicuous with the wig on,” she said, explaining that she only wore it to her son’s confirmation and a wedding. “What Gianna did is a little different. Human hair is beautiful and soft … Maybe it would have made a difference.”
Other parts of Bucca’s body also showed the effects of her treatments - her eyebrows fell out, her nails are brittle, and her stomach is often upset.
“I think it’s a very worthwhile thing, it’s so selfless,” she said of Gianna, later adding, “When you have long hair, you have it because you love it.”
Bucca’s own hair has been growing since her chemo ended - January 7 was her last treatment. Doctors say she will fully end treatment in November.
Now she is debating whether to let it stay the color is it growing in - gray - or dye it back to brown.
As for Gianna, during Lent, the eight-year-old, who has received the Principal’s Award three times for “Outstanding Christian Values,” also spearheaded a fundraiser for the poor, collecting $102 that will be donated to Food for the Poor, Inc. Her brother also helped in the efforts, and OLG Principal Barbara Kavanagh - who nominated the children for a $500 Italian American scholarship because of their Christian values, which they won - matched the funds collected.
“I want [my children] to see what other parts of the world live like,” said Maria, who credits OLG with a solid foundation for its students. “I want to teach them that things don’t come easily and we need to pray [for the less fortunate].”
“They are a very faith-filled family,” said Kavanagh of the Petraglias. “They are raising Christian children aware of the needs of others, and this supports what we are teaching.”