What started as a joke turned into possibly one of the best gifts a mother could ever receive from her son.<\/p>\n
An Arizona man spent nearly three years growing out his hair so he could donate it to his mother who lost her hair after she received radiation.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a no-brainer,\u201d Matt Shaha said. \u201cShe gave me the hair in the first place.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI have had a recurrent benign brain tumor, a pituitary tumor, and I\u2019ve had surgery twice in 2003 and in 2006,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
She had two successful surgeries to remove it, but in 2017 when it showed up again she was prescribed radiation.<\/p>\n
\u201cI asked (my doctor), \u2018Will I lose my hair?\u2019 and they said \u2018No.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Three months later she lost her hair.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot having hair, you stick out like a sore thumb and well-meaning people can say things that break your heart,\u201d she told Today. \u201cI don\u2019t mind being sick but I mind looking sick. I\u2019d rather blend in and not stand out at the store.\u201d<\/p>\n
One day, not long after Melanie began losing her hair, her 27-year-old son joked that he would grow his hair out and make a wig for her.<\/p>\n
While it was an extremely generous offer, Melanie didn\u2019t want to place that kind of burden on her son.<\/p>\n
But Matt didn\u2019t see it that way. He spent the next two and half years growing out his hair. When his hair reached an optimal length, he and a few coworkers went to his mom\u2019s house where they chopped his hair off.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were super pumped and when they started cutting, we bawled,\u201d Melanie said.<\/p>\n
When the time came he even paid the $2,000 for the wig to be made.<\/p>\n
The mother and son duo found a wigmaker who hand-stitched the hair which resulted in a lighter and more comfortable wig. Once the wig was delivered to Melanie, she had it cut and styled.<\/p>\n
\u201cSeeing her in it, it\u2019s the first time I had seen my mom look like that since she lost it, so it\u2019s been about four years,\u201d Matt said.<\/p>\n
Melanie, who was in love with her new look, admitted it\u2019ll be hard to top her son\u2019s gift. \u201cIt sure fills your emotional cup.\u201d<\/p>\n