Husband seeks £5k sponsorship for overdue haircut in honour of late wife’s cancer battle

A husband who lost his 56-year-old wife to bowel cancer five months ago is looking to fundraise £5k to have a long overdue haircut to champion the charities that helped her. 

During her illness, Michele Kaye, from Mill Hill, received dedicated support from cancer charity Chai and Bowel Cancer UK. She was also a beloved client at the Kink salon in Daws Lane, north-west London, where Martin, who grew his hair during lockdown, aims to finally have it cut on 10 September and raise £5k in the process.

Writing on his JustGiving page, Kaye says that over the Covid period “like everyone else I had no choice but to let my hair grow but after, when we were told we could go back to the hairdressers, I decided to continue to let it grow for charity and to donate it in Michele’s name.”

To date, the page has raised more than £1,400 from 21 generous donors.

Kaye’s hair will be made into a wig and given to a cancer victim who has lost their hair due to chemotherapy.

As his wife’s condition got worse, the couple were recommended to Chai Cancer Care.

“In this safe haven,” writes Martin, “Michele was able to receive complimentary therapies to help her as well as counselling. When you are living with someone who is terminally ill you try imagine how you are going to feel when they are not around but when the day comes when your loved one passes, the world that you knew and loved suddenly ends and all you are left with is pain, confusion and emptiness.”

Describing Chai as “an amazing support for our family”, not only while Michele was alive but “helping us rebuild our lives” and “manage that pain and grief as it doesn’t just go away over night”, Martin is appealing to friends, family and the wider community for “both of these fantastic causes so we can help other families to use the centre as their life line.”

Chai chairman, Louise Hager, said: “We are so touched that Chai is one of the charities that Martin has chosen to support, dedicated to his dear wife Michele. Each donation is deeply appreciated and will help us to continue to provide our support and care to all those who turn to us.”

Describing Kink Hair salon as Michele’s “happy place, in good days and bad days”, Martin adds that “although we want to eliminate cancer, sometimes we can’t cure but we can help. Please give whatever you can.”

All proceeds will be split evenly between Bowel Cancer UK and Chai Cancer Care.

You can sponsor Martin’s haircut here