Letting her braid down in the style of Rapunzel, 9-year-old Morgan Hamilton climbs up onto the salon chair and faces the mirror.

Around her, her great-grandmother, Marie Hamilton, her grandfather, Mike Morrison and her uncle Christopher Morrison watch as Morgan gets her waist-length hair cut for the first time.

“What’s going to happen to your hair?” Hamilton said, questioning Morgan.

“It’s going to Locks of Love,” Morgan said. “It’s going to a little boy or little girl that has cancer.”

Rhonda Wallace, who works at the Salon On 20 and who is cutting Morgan’s hair, comments on how thick it is.

“My daughter donated her hair too,” Wallace said. “Her first ponytail.”

Wallace brushes through Morgan’s hair and ties it in a band. It takes four or five heavy cuts with the scissors to get through the ponytail.

With her eyes closed, Morgan waits for the lightness she will feel when the ponytail is free. When she feels the release, Morgan turns to look at the nine years’ worth of hair and reacts as if she wants to laugh at its length and cry at its loss.

Choosing to laugh, Morgan turns to see her reflection.

“She’s just thrilled to be getting her hair cut today,” Hamilton said. “She’s been waiting and waiting.”

As Wallace cuts and styles Morgan’s hair, Hamilton tells of a little girl she used to watch in Philadelphia, who found out she had cancer when she was 5 years old.

“I used to take care of her, my little Sarah,” Hamilton said.

After chemotherapy, Sarah lost all of her baby-red curls. Her parents took a photo of her from before the chemotherapy and applied to receive a wig from a hair donation foundation similar to Locks of Love. Sarah received a wig made with real curls that matched her natural hair exactly.

Hamilton said she is proud that Morgan decided to share her hair with Locks of Love and the individuals the program will help.

As Wallace adds the finishing brushes and tucks on Morgan’s new shoulder-length hairstyle, her great-grandmother beams at her great-granddaughter through the mirror, and they both appraise the new Morgan.

“Oh, you’re going to be so absolutely beautiful, you dear child!” Hamilton said.

A little shy with all of the attention, Morgan ducks her head and hops off the chair to show her uncle and grandfather her new hairstyle.

At the suggestion of her great-grandmother, they all decide to stop by Morgan’s grandmother’s work at Dr. Greg Olson’s pediatric dentistry office, where Lisa Morrison works as a dentist’s assistant.

Morrison almost cried when she saw her granddaughter’s hair. She said she had loved the long tresses, but reassured Morgan that she thought the new style would be easier for Morgan to take care of.

Dr Olson, who also joined in with exclamations and comments for Morgan, asked her if she knew Locks of Love was going to use her hair for a wig, to give to a child who had lost his or her hair for one reason or another. When Morgan said “yes,” he smiled.

“Well Morgan, you look lovely, girl. That was a very sweet thing you did.” Dr. Olson said.

When asked what she would tell others who had thought of donating their hair to Locks of Love or a similar organization, Morgan’s answer was firm and quick.

“You should, because anyone with cancer needs some,” Morgan said.