‘Extraordinary’: Sask. 5th-grader cuts his hair for kids with cancer

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After a few years, Beckett Sorenson changed some children’s lives for the better in a few seconds.

Sorenson, who recently completed Grade 5 at Wakaw School, had been growing his hair for around three years. When he mentioned recently to his mother Ange that he was starting to get sick of his long hairstyle, she shared an idea with him: shear those locks for cancer.

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Together, they settled on giving his hair to Angel Hair For Kids, an organization that makes wigs for children in Canada who have lost their hair. At the same time, Ange and Beckett began fundraising and approached the school about being part of those efforts.

In the end, they raised $3,290 for the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital in Saskatoon.

“I think anytime anyone can think beyond themselves, that’s amazing,” Wakaw School principal Darryl Dickson said.

On June 17, in the final days of the 2023-24 school year, the school held a Warrior of the Month assembly where they handed out prizes to students in each grade. As part of the festivities, with the school and community cheering him on, Beckett had his hair chopped.

Ange said his hair was over 12 inches long.

“Oh boy, all the kids were just going nuts. Every braid I cut, they were just cheering and clapping. It was great,” she said.

Beckett said he feels brand new since the haircut.

“All my friends were like, ‘It looks so weird now. You look so different. It’s like you’re a new person,’ ” he said.

According to its website, Angel Hair For Kids believes having a wig or hair loss solution will increase a child’s self-esteem and confidence during a difficult time in their young life. The organization is one of a kind in Canada and each Angel Hair For Kids recipient is given a personal appointment at a salon that specializes in wigs and hair loss.

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Beckett and Ange said they hope their efforts will have a positive impact for someone.

“We just hope that his hair will help some little kid that needs it and then that the money we raised will help out the hospital,” Ange said.

Beckett said that letting his hair grow for three years was inspired by a friend from his former community of Birch Hills who had long hair. They met when they first moved in across the street.

“The first day I met him, we were already best friends and so I told my mom I wanted to start growing my hair because he had long hair,” Beckett said. “I really liked it and then I grew my hair.

“Since I haven’t had the feeling for three years, it feels weird — when I’m running in a gym class, I feel air going through my hair and I haven’t felt that for three years, so it’s like a new feeling.”

Dickson said the fundraiser, led in the school by the student representative council (SRC) and advisor Dean Ewen, was well received in the community. He was also impressed by the compassion of Beckett and his mother.

“I think too much and too often in this world we are all hyper-focused on ourselves and not really others, and for a young man in Grade 5, combined obviously with mom, to come up with that I thought was pretty extraordinary.”

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Michael Oleksyn is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter with the Prince Albert Daily Herald. The LJI program is federally funded by the Government of Canada.

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