Learning young about the spirit of giving

Photo by Noreen Hyslop Three special friends witnessed the recent donation to locks of love from Celeste Huey. From left are Karen Pippins, Marilyn Brehmer and Janet Bell.

Managing Editor

Nine-year-old Celeste Huey has witnessed first-hand the devastation of a cancer diagnosis. When the Dexter youngster was in the second grade, she watched as her teacher, Janet Bell, gallantly faced breast cancer, going through months of chemotherapy while managing to show up nearly every day to instruct her eight-year olds who witnessed her courage and served to inspire all those around her.

The following year, Celeste, the daughter of Bill and Robinn Daves-Huey, moved on to third grade and was placed in the classroom of longtime local teacher, Karen Pippins. Pippins is another cancer survivor and currently faces the challenges of the disease for the third time. Her perseverance and positive attitude have also served as an inspiration to all who know her. Once again, young Celeste became familiar with the terms "cancer" and "chemotherapy" and "radiation," terminology with which third graders are not usually familiar.

And then there was John Brehmer, a man to whom Celeste was not blood-related, but someone for whom she always had a great love and whom she always referred to as "Grandpa." Brehmer was well known in the local community and served as an inspiration to many before his death from cancer last December, after decades of battling the disease with a seldom-seen spirit of faith and determination.

Wise beyond her years, Celeste Huey wanted badly to do something to honor the spirit of those people, once so close to her, who have battled cancer. Several months ago, she realized a way to do just that. Some friends had grown out their hair to have it cut and donated to Locks of Love, an organization that uses human hair to make wigs for children under the age of 18 who are suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis. The not-for-profit group's mission is to "return a sense of self-confidence and normalcy to children suffering from hair loss by utilizing donated pony tails to provide the highest quality hair prosthetics."

It became Celeste's mission to help by growing out her hair to a length that would benefit a young child.

Hair that is donated to Locks of Love must measure at least 10 inches. Celeste went the extra mile and provided just over a foot long pony tail to the organization. The young girl credits her sense of giving to her past teachers and to her surrogate grandfather, and also to her grandparents, Sam and Irene Huey of Dexter and LaVerne and Judy Daves from Silva. She is involved in 4-H activities as well and in youth activities at Faith Lutheran Church.

"It's just something that I wanted to do," says the kind-hearted soon-to-be fourth grader, who hopes to influence other children to do the same.