Family Inspires Kindest Cut
Coworkers did a double take when Pat W. entered the office at Total Quality Logistics Lexington Wednesday morning.
They were used to long hair cascading past his shoulders and well down his back. When he rolled in wearing a close-cropped ‘do, the buzz wasn’t just on his head.
Turns out short hair is more the norm. Pat simply came to TQL last September toward the end of a nearly three-year growing process that enabled him to donate more than a foot of hair to Locks of Love after a Tuesday haircut.
“I always wanted to know what I would look like with long hair,” the 2014 University of Kentucky graduate and Versailles native said. “I’ve had short hair my whole life and I just wanted to see. I knew when I got tired of it, I’d have somewhere to go with it.”
Locks of Love founder Madonna Coffman is Pat’s aunt. She suffered alopecia in her 20s as the result of a hepatitis vaccination. Years later, her 4-year-old daughter suffered a similar fate; Coffman founded the charity in 1997 when she discovered finding hairpieces for children a challenge.
The family angle inspired Pat to share his hair. He said sitting in the chair to be shorn was “wild.”
“It was actually hard on (the stylist’s) scissors,” he said. “She was basically sawing through my hair more than cutting it. The weight being gone was the first thing I noticed. And feeling the air on the back of my head and neck.
“I’d definitely think about doing it again. My dad is bald and I might not have a lot of time left to do it again. But it’s getting hot and I’m going to keep it short this summer.”
Lest anyone worry about a Sampson effect on Pat, he's shown no signs of weakness, steadily increasing his book of business each week since completing training and becoming a full-fledged logistics account executive in March.
“I like it here,” Pat said. “I just heard there was a chance to make some good money. I figured I was young enough to put in the work, put in the energy, to make it happen.”
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