Matt Shaha, 27, was determined to make his mom Melanie feel like herself again.When a mother lost her hair owing to a benign brain tumor, her son grew it out and cut it into a wig for her.
Melanie Shaha of Gilbert, Arizona, began experiencing dull headaches in 2003, which were subsequently diagnosed as indications of a benign pituitary gland tumor.The small gland at the brain’s base regulates hormones associated with growth, stress, and metabolism.
Melanie’s plum-sized tumor impairs pituitary gland function.“I had surgery to remove the tumor and had a really great outcome,” the mother of six told TODAY Parents.The tumor resurfaced, necessitating a second operation in 2006 to eradicate it, followed by a third recurrence in 2017, for which radiotherapy was prescribed.
“I asked (my doctor), ‘Will I lose my hair?’ and they said ‘No,’” Melanie Shaha recalls. “Three months later, I had a major shed and began losing hair. “I was surprised.” According to the National Cancer Institute, radiation can induce hair loss in the treated areas.
Melanie Shaha embraces her son Matt, who donated his hair to make a wig for his mom after her brain tumor treatment caused hair loss.NewerMercedes Berg Photography
“Not having hair, you stick out like a sore thumb and well-meaning people can say things that break your heart,” according to her. “I don’t mind being sick; I just don’t like appearing sick. “I’d rather blend in than stand out at the store.”
Matt, Melanie’s 27-year-old son, made a joke during a family lunch in 2018.
“I said, ‘Why don’t I grow out my hair and make a wig for you?’” he told TODAY Parents. Matt, who had just graduated from a university with a dress code that banned hair length, was enjoying the freedom of growing it out until “something clicked.”
Melanie Shaha of Arizona got her wig styled, a gift from her son Matt, who donated his hair for the piece.Mercedes Berg Photography
Melanie Shaha, on the other hand, did not want to put her son under any unnecessary strain. “I would tell him, ‘I love your hair’ and he’d say, ‘Coming soon to a head near you!’” she reported.
By March 21, Matt’s hair had grown to 12 inches, which was enough for a wig. He and a handful of his coworkers went to his mother’s house and chopped it all off.
“We were super pumped and when they started cutting, we bawled,” Melanie told me.
Matt’s hair was transported to Compassionate Creations, a firm based in Newport Beach, California, which provided Melanie a hand-tied wig in June.
After her brain tumor treatment caused hair loss, Melanie Shaha’s son Matt donated his hair for her wig. Courtesy Shaha family
“The family was such a joy to work with,” said co-founder Veronica Balch to TODAY Parents. “When someone selflessly shaves their head for a family member, it makes what we do even more special.”
Melanie loves her wig. “The color is spectacular and we had it cut and styled with a hairdresser,” she informed me. “Matt said it looks great on me.”
Melanie recognized that Matt’s present would be difficult to top. “It sure fills your emotional cup.”