Girl’s locks help sick friend

by Davy James, Staff Writer
   Children are often more intuitive than they’re given credit for, so much so that even their own parents can be surprised and touched by the capacity their kids have for goodness.
   After watching a friend of her mother’s battle cancer, 9-year-old Kaylee Murillo decided to join the fight.
   ”Kaylee was very curious why I was always running off to the hospital,” said Kaylee’s mother, Erin Martin-Murillo, of Kendall Park. “I tried to find a way to explain it to her in a way that was age appropriate. She wanted to know if there was a way that she could help.”
   Kaylee watched Ms. Martin-Murillo’s friend, Jennifer Obregon, of South River, battle lymphoma as Ms. Obregon began losing her hair.
   ”Kaylee saw her going through this and heard us talking about getting a wig,” Ms. Martin-Murillo said. “She asked me what wigs are made out of. I told her people with long hair sometimes donate their hair. She said I want to do that.”
   Ms. Martin-Murillo contacted Locks of Love, an organization that fashions real hair into wigs for patients battling cancer. Once Kaylee’s hair became long enough, it was Ms. Obregon who cut 10 inches off to send to the organization to get the wig made. As they wait for the completed wig to be returned, Ms. Martin-Murillo is still in awe of her daughter’s act of kindness.
   ”I’ve never been so proud of her,” Ms. Martin-Murillo said. “For a 9-year-old to want to give up her hair to help someone else shows I’m teaching her the right things. She has compassion and empathy and it makes me so proud. She was a little upset when she saw her hair after the cut, but she started to like it. And my friend was very touched that Kaylee was willing to give up her hair for her.”
   For Kaylee, the shorter locks were a bit of an adjustment, but one she made happily.
   ”I wasn’t happy with the haircut at first because I thought it was too short,” Kaylee said. “But after a couple of days I thought it was cool. And my friends at school liked it.”
   However, Kaylee’s new look had nothing to do with style and everything to do with substance. For the young Brunswick Acres Elementary School student, her new haircut was the chance to help someone she cares about by showing a level of sensitivity and compassion that betrays her young age.
   ”It made me feel happy that I could, in some way, help other people with cancer,” Kaylee said. “It was hard to see Jennifer go through the different stages of cancer and I just wanted to help her.”