Two lifelong friends prepare to lose their long locks together – in memory of the bravest girl they know.
Eliza Reid and Keira Rowe, who have been friends since they were two, are preparing to have their long hair cut off this weekend.
This is by no means your ordinary sponsored haircut – they are doing it for the Little Princess Trust in memory of Eliza’s big sister, Emmy.
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The tragic story of how Emmy valiantly battled brain cancer – only to find it was just days after she turned 11.
Eliza Reid having her hair cut in memory of her big sister
Now her sister and friend have their hair cut on Sunday so that their hair can be used to make wigs for young cancer patients – just like Emmy.
“We had a good chat and I said to Eliza, ‘These are the wigs that helped Emmy when she lost her hair,’ and I said, ‘Would you like to cut your hair?'” Explained her mother, Leanne.
“She was a little scared at first, but her best friend does too, both of them in memory of Emmy.
“It is a big deal for any little girl to cut her hair, but Eliza has seen firsthand what the hair does. We still have Emmy’s wig in her box so she knows where the hair is going and why they are used. ” and we showed her the fundraising page and sponsored both online and offline. “
The friends were due to get their hair cut at an event for Matt’s Mission Children’s Charity, but this had to be postponed due to the delay in lifting coronavirus restrictions.
Keira Rowe having her hair cut with her friend Eliza
But they will continue with the haircut tomorrow (June 27).
“Eliza was counting, they are both looking forward to it and we wanted to go ahead and make the day very special for her,” she added.
It has been a difficult seven months for the Reid family since the 11-year-old died.
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“It wasn’t easy, the pain in your side is always there, no matter what, it’s just a case of getting up, taking each day as it comes,” said her mother
“To meet the first ones, the first birthdays, we already had the first Mother’s Day without her, was a lot.
“I know we had the first Christmas, but this Christmas is going to be harder as we were still in this daze last year, moving from losing Emmy to the funeral and then having Daniel’s birthday within a few days, so we already have immediately started meeting the first “,
“Some days you just don’t know what to do with yourself and with Lockdown and not see anyone. It was too easy to stay home and just let the world go by,” she explained.
“On the bad days it (home) has become my refuge to have this calm.”
“It just brought it all back”
If struggling with the loss of a child and lockdown in 2020 wasn’t enough, the family was hit by another blow in early 2021.
“Eliza was diagnosed with a cyst in her brain earlier this year and it just brought it all back,” she said.
“They (doctors) thought it was an incidental finding, she had a headache anyway and with our history with Emmy they were careful and she had some tests.
“That’s where they found her (the cyst). We have consultants and teams involved and she’s fine. She’s got another scan, you can live with them (cysts), you can live with them without knowing you have one.
“So the next scan is coming up and if it’s okay, hopefully there won’t be much interference, they’ll just keep an eye on it.”
“It’s as if she were with us”
But the family has stayed strong and has Emmy by their side wherever they go.
They took a cuddly white polar bear that they had given to their family after their death on day trips.
Eliza and Jak with the polar bear at Bristol Zoo
“It was a bear we got after Emmy died, it was a really nice gift with a label with Emmy’s name on it.” She explained.
“It was on the shelf and we went to Skegness and said, ‘We have to take something from Emmy’s’ and I couldn’t find one of the things we had and we saw the pole and said,’ It’s small enough, take we She’.
“We took polar bears with us to Skegness, Emmy loved the arcades there, so polar bear was with us.
“When we went to the Bristol Zoo, Eliza kept it all round.
“When we get home, the she-bear will come back on her shelf until the next time
“It’s like she’s with us.”
The polar bear on the family trip to one of their favorite places – Skegness
After experiencing the unthinkable, the Reid family has one big and steadfast focus – the Emmy’s Way charity they founded on their behalf – and the future looks bright.
“It went pretty well, obviously not as well as we wanted the lockdown to be, but we’re waiting to see when things are lifted like a fun day,” she said.
“There are a lot of things we want to do, we just want to get the charity out and people to share their ideas and help with fundraising. The more we can do, the more money we can raise.”
The money raised through their charity will be donated to the Brain Tumor Charity.
They already sell miniature growing sets in special plant pots for donations as well as cup cake recipe sets.
Emmy Reid, whose bravery touched the whole district
(Image: handout)
Emmy loved quizzes, there are also plans to hold quiz nights on her behalf.
There is also a fundraising page called ‘Emmy’s Way’ which can be found here
Donations are also needed for the sponsored haircut this weekend and Leanne wants to make it special.
“It would be really nice if we could make a fuss with the girls,” she said.
“If someone has a limo out there we could take them for a little ride or do something to pamper them, it would be so nice,” she said.
Anyone who can help or want to donate should contact Leanne through the Emmy’s Way page on Facebook.
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