Like many girls her age, Lauren LaRay could spend her free time playing in her hair or cutting Barbie a fly bob (oh, I'm the only one that did that, huh?), but instead, she's using her hairstyling skills for a bigger mission: making wigs for little girls with cancer.
"My best friend's little sister has cancer and I just felt bad for her," said 8-year-old Lauren in a recent KSNV News 3 segment.
**May 4, 2016 Update**: It's official! May 4th has been named Lauren LaRay Day In North Las Vegas! The Mayor made an official announcement and Lauren couldn't be happier!
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The Las Vegas third grader is an honor roll student and star of her own Youtube channel, Tutorials by Lauren LaRay, where she shows other young girls how to make different crafts. Wigmaking is only one of her many talents, but one that she's putting her full energy into for the long haul.
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Her goal was to create 30 wigs by June to donate to girls at the Nevada Childhood Cancer Foundation and she has done that! "Some of them will be blonde; some of them will be redheaded for redheaded little girls. I'll have a whole bunch because other girls have other styles for their hair," said Lauren.
Although cancer is much less common among children compared to older adults, according to...
... a special report from the American Cancer Society, approximately 1 in 285 children in the US will be diagnosed with the disease before the age of 20. While advances in treatment have increased the survival rate for many childhood cancers, the disease is still the second leading cause of death (following accidents) in children ages 5-14.
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Jeff Gordon, President and CEO of Nevada Childhood Cancer Foundation, shared that,"So much normality is taken out of their lives immediately you know, and when they lose their hair that's a huge thing."
With the help of Lauren's GoFundMe campaign, she will purchase the necessary materials for her wigs - crochet needles, packages of hair, weaving caps and foam mannequins. As of this story, Lauren has raised $720 of her $900 goal.
The young stylist isn't looking for fame or special thanks. She says, "I'll just see a smile on their face and I'll be happy."
Check out Lauren creating a wig below.
