CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — Everything changed for Monticello native Sarah Jane German on June 27, 2017. It’s the day her mom, Beverly, passed away after an eight-year battle with Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma (ACC).

Since then, German has started a non-profit and made it her mission to support other families in a similar position. Now, she’s donating nearly three feet of hair with the help of stylist Chad Keast, marking a big milestone in her philanthropic journey.

The donated hair will go to a non-profit called “Wigs for Kids.” Its goal is to help children experiencing hair loss.

It’s been several years since the last time she sat in a hairdresser’s chair, and for the first time in years, she’s ready for the “big chop.”

“In all honesty, this hair grows about 12-14 inches a year,” the college junior said. “It’s not that I grow it out, I just don’t cut it enough to keep up with it.” 

She has a unique attachment to her hair and has many memories of going to Rod Sickler’s Champaign salon with her mom while growing up.

“We would come every year, get about 12 inches off, and we’d donate,” German explained.

That changed when her mom got the cancer diagnosis, and later started chemotherapy in 2014. German was only four years old.

“I remember many conversations we had about the fact that she had cancer. But one that stood out the most was the, ‘we’re not gonna be able to do each other’s hair anymore,” German said.

Shortly after Beverly’s death, German started a non-profit called “Cure ACC” in her honor. It was a way to grow support systems for others navigating their way through this deadly disease.

“People got care packages, but they had a friendly face in their corner to talk to,” German explained.

Now, she’s a rising junior at Auburn University in Alabama. Despite moving hundreds of miles away, she brought the non-profit down south with her. Last year, she donated 50 care kits to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.

Now, as her hair falls to the ground in Champaign, German knows it’s time to close this chapter of Cure ACC and hopefully start something new. Down the road, she is looking to start a different non-profit, perhaps focused on all terminal cancers.

If you’re interested in donating hair through “Wigs for Kids,” you can learn more information online. There are also volunteer opportunities for hairdressers looking to get involved.