An Unselfish Gift ...

Another Donation of Love
25 February 2004: My sister, Joyce Peterson presented me with a special gift - her ponytail. After Mya's memorial service she decided to let her hair grow with the intention of cutting her ponytail and having it donated to Locks of Love.

The following excerpt came from the September 2003 issue of "Sarasota Spirit" the Newsletter of Sarasota City Employees.

Kim DeNais presenting her hair to Bob in memory of his daughter for "Locks of Love."
When I doanted my hair to "Locks of Love" two years ago, it was such a great feeling knowing that a child would benefit with a wig, due to the loss of their own hair from cancer treatments.

When fellow employee, Bob Coyle and his wife Connie lost their daughter, Mya Spencer Weiler, from a long fight against cancer, one of the family's request was to have donations go to "Locks of Love." Immediately it was my mission to grow my hair again and donate it in memory of her life.

Cutting off ten inches of hair is always a shock, but it was the most wonderful feeling in the world to donate mine in their daughter's memory. Bob always has a smile to share with each of us and I'm glad that I could do something to bring one more smile.

A special thanks to Kim ... when I read the article in the city newsletter it brought tears to my eyes I not only thought "what a wonderful and unselfish act" but also it reminded of the many times Mya had said she wanted to donate her pony tail ... and once the news came that her condition was terminal and the "inital" shock passed Mya said "well if I am going to loose my hair from chemo treatments then I might as well cut my pony tail now and have it sent in ... "

Kim - "thank you" just doesn't seem to be enough to tell you how much I appreciate your donation ... I know from talks with my in-laws (the Coyles) that everyone from the city has been so supportive ... and this is yet another fine example of what they were talking about.

- Pete Weiler, (Mya's husband)

Mya Donates Ponytail ....

Above is the certificate from Locks of Love that confirms the receipt of her ponytail

On 22 March, while at HealthSouth, Mya had her aunt Ronda come in and give her a haircut ... the main reason was so that Mya's ponytail could be cut off and donated to Locks of Love, an organization that provides custom hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children with long-term hair loss related to a medical illness.

Mya figured that if she was going to loose her hair as a result of the chemotherapy she would cut it short and donate the ponytail. Which even if she wasn't having to go through chemotherapy - she still had talked about making the donation.

Her ponytail measured 12" long.

Above is the certificate from Locks of Love that confirms the receipt of her ponytail.

To learn more about Locks of Love and their requirements for donation of your ponytail visit

www.locksoflove.org
Page updated on 15 September, 2004 10:39 AM