A man growing hair for cancer patients has had several people doubting his gender, yet he only wanted to help.
Dao Tuan Tung – a man growing hair for cancer patients in Vietnam for several years now. His cause has been neglected by his family, even his gender has been mocked and doubted just because he wanted to grow his hair long. He also found the love of his life but then was refused.
It was one typical day back in 2018, Dao watched a video of an 8yr old Japanese boy growing his hair long to donate to cancer patients. This was the mark of Tung’s case.
He then went online to find an organization within Vietnam that accepts human hair for making wigs for cancer patients.
Dao was confident he could change his lifestyle to begin his journey of growing his hair. He has gone growing his hair for more than a year and when he finally had to have it cut to join a game show, the receiving unit have changed their condition regarding the lengths of donated hairs.
The receiving unit has required a minimum length of 25 cm which Tung didn’t fulfill. Instead of being disheartened with this event, the man from Hoa Binh pursued his cause.
Tung has been mocked due to the fact that he has a different hairstyle to typical boys in town. His family as well as relatives didn’t help alleviate the situation as they are more than unhappy about his cause.
“Our family is not like that, no one is doing art, so you should not be different.” Are the words of relatives that he often listens to for a long time.
This also goes out with his relationships as he has been neglected by several ladies because of his hair. According to him, there are some ladies who won’t even dare talk to him. Oftentimes, they’d agree to meet but when they see him in person with long hair, they immediately cut communications with him.
People have perceived him as someone with no future and career due to his hair. This also made some people doubt his gender and even his ability to work.
At first, he felt sad and guilty about what he is doing with his appearance however, he got used to it and even feels comfortable as he goes along.
Tung said, “The first time I cut my long hair, I felt something down. Also, having long hair is a rather enjoyable and special experience. I want to know what it feels like to have long hair. From here, I understand and answer all the previous questions like why washing hair is so important to most girls? Or why every time going out to eat something such as pho, bun cha, girls often ask the owner for a rubber band”.
He also shared that he wanted to have at least 25cm long hair for donation which he estimates will take more than a year. Tung knows it entails a lot of patience and time to grow his hair but this is superseded by the thought of female cancer patients that will be blissful. He says hair is special mostly to women.
Tung’s friends have joined in with his advocate. They all grew their hair for donation. Alongside with this, they also formed a dog rescue group, offered free swimming and prenatal classes too.
Recently, the man growing hair for cancer patients has thought about opening an English class for both students and workers who are less fortunate.
