Boy, stepfather chop it off for charity

Julian Botham's thick auburn tresses caused some stress for the boy but that didn't stop him.
Botham, 7, a youngster living in Cooksville, decided to grow his hair two years ago in order to donate it to Angel Hair charity, a Mississauga-based organization that takes in hair donation for children with cancer, burn victims and those suffering from alopaecia, a disease that causes premature hair-loss and leads to baldness.
And on Thursday, after growing his hair for nearly two years, Botham joined his step-dad Ken Macleod, who supported his son by growing his own hair, as hairdresser Tina McNeil expertly ran her scissors to snip away 22 inches of hair from the two-man team.
In the last two years, Botham, a student at Silver Creek Public School, was often mistaken for a girl, and that led to a fair amount of school yard teasing.
But, despite all that, Botham stood tall and proud and took it in his stride because he believed it was all for a cause.
“I don't care what people said about me because they can believe what they want to believe,” Botham said. “I know, I am doing this for a good reason.”
Mother Cheri Koschir said even though it wasn't easy, her son's determination has made her happy.
“I am an incredibly proud mother and partner of two people that didn't allow other peoples' judgements get in the way of a very long term commitment to do something good for someone they have never met,” Koschir said.

rpanjwani@mississauga.net