Mountain-Democrat photo - Pat Dollins
Last week I had lunch with six-year-old Abby McGloughlin. Her mother, Bre, was allowed to accompany her as long a Bre promised to behave herself and eat all her veggies. I’ve known Bre for about 15 years, getting acquainted with her on-line when she was quarantined for a year while recuperating from leukemia. Her meds had knocked her immune system down, so her social life was limited to chatting on her computer.
Bre and her husband, Stephen, are both from Ireland and we share a liking for Celtic music. As it happens, Bre had sung Gaelic ballads in a heartbreaking contralto before the leukemia meds took away her singing voice as well as her immune system. She even cut a CD for her church, a Protestant denomination. Seems that Bre cast aside centuries of her family's Irish-Catholic history to become a Baptist. “They seemed to have more fun” she explained when asked why.
For her, church attendance should not be a grimly pious occasion, which she demonstrated by such stunts as putting a motorized shark fin in the baptismal font prior to a service. When the pastor finally noticed, he looked right at Bre. As did the entire congregation. Bre put on a “Who, me?” expression and feigned innocence.
In addition to losing her singing voice and immunity to bacteria, Bre also lost custody of her three daughters and three stepdaughters as a result of the disease, but managed to keep her three legged turtle, Tripod, and formed a circle of new friends and admirers on-line while housebound.
Once her quarantine was over, Bre organized Wednesday Night Pizza at a pizzeria for the eclectic bunch she had befriended via computer. They included a locomotive engineer, a commercial pilot, a computer geek or two, a 15-year-old girl whose sneeze could open a garage door, a few college students and one unemployed writer. All we had in common was an affinity for computers and a deep affection for Bre.
We both moved to different areas but kept in touch now and then over the years. I didn’t know about Abby until recently. We agreed to meet for lunch at a restaurant halfway between Sacramento and her pastoral home in the Sierra foothills where the McLoughlins moved to escape Sacramento's urban sprawl.
We met at the Panera sandwich emporium in Folsom. Bre brought Abby with her. My usual attitude toward children is that they should be locked up until they are 30, but Abby promptly improved my thinking. When we met, she looked at me with eyes as blue as the lake waters of Lough Derravaragh on a clear Erin day, extended a small hand and said, “Hello, Mr. Mike,” with the poise of someone many years her senior. While Bre and I chatted about boring grownup stuff, Abby quietly amused herself by drawing Bre’s initials on a napkin while I quietly fell in love with that kid.
We met at the Panera sandwich emporium in Folsom. Bre brought Abby with her. My usual attitude toward children is that they should be locked up until they are 30, but Abby promptly improved my thinking. When we met, she looked at me with eyes as blue as the lake waters of Lough Derravaragh on a clear Erin day, extended a small hand and said, “Hello, Mr. Mike,” with the poise of someone many years her senior. While Bre and I chatted about boring grownup stuff, Abby quietly amused herself by drawing Bre’s initials on a napkin while I quietly fell in love with that kid.
I’m not the only one, as shown by the following newspaper article from the Placerville Mountain Democrat:
By Rosemary Revell
Mountain Democrat staff writer
February 21, 2010
Abby McGloughlin of Placerville used to have hair that fell like a waterfall down her back to below her bottom, but now she has hair that just reaches her shoulders. Abby, 4 years old, had 12 inches cut off so that she could donate it to Locks of Love, an organization that provides hairpieces to disadvantaged children suffering from medical hair loss caused by chemotherapy or disease.
Abby is the daughter of Stephen and Bre McGloughlin of Placerville, and she attends Montessori Country Day School. She is quite precise about her age, saying “I’m 4 and three-fourths years old” and equally articulate in explaining why she gave her hair away. “I want to give my hair to someone who doesn’t have any hair,” she said.
Abby’s mother explained that in October, Abby saw a program on the Discovery Health TV channel. “She saw a little girl who was 5 and had Alopecia, a condition where you can’t grow hair. She’s had the idea to donate her hair since then,” although she admitted that she and her husband tried to talk Abby out of her donation.
“Her hair’s been growing since birth. I only trimmed it once when her brother Brendan put bubble gum in it,” said McGloughlin.
Dressed in a red valentine dress, Abby hopped up and down and swung her little purse back and forth on the big day. She appeared excited and happy that the moment had finally arrived when she could give away her hair. Abby was ready for the shearing, but her parents were not.
“My husband couldn’t bear to come today. He’s worse than I am. She’s daddy’s little girl,” said Bre McGloughlin.
McGloughlin herself came bolstered by the presence of two of her friends. The big event took place at Super Cuts on Golden Center Drive in Placerville, “the only salon I found that worked with Locks of Love,” McGloughlin said. Nine people were in the salon, but Abby did not seem to be intimidated by their presence.
Hairstylist and salon manager Laura Winter seated the little girl on the big salon chair, draped her, brushed her hair out, bundled it into a pony tail, and trimmed off 4 3/4 years of hair growth in just seconds. Then she dampened Abby’s hair, trimmed it to be even and blew it dry. The new Abby was revealed as every bit as beautiful as the old Abby - inside as well as out.
“I’m going to grow it out so I can donate it again,” she said, apparently unfazed by the loss of an entire foot of hair.
Abby has two brothers, Matti, 6, and Brendan, 8, and Bre McGloughlin said she and her husband, who is from Ireland, have raised their children to care about others - although McGloughlin admits it backfires from time to time.
“Brendan came home from school one day without his shoes. I asked him what happened to his shoes, and he said, ‘There’s a boy in my class who didn’t have very nice shoes, so I gave him my shoes,’” McGloughlin said.
Wendy von Haesler, one of McGloughlin’s friends who accompanied her to the salon, said, “Their mom and dad are such wonderful people. They are very giving. She is a giver - always giving, giving, giving.”
Comments?
I enjoyed the essay and the story. Chloe, 6, my granddaughter, said something that amused me. I was babysitting her in a motel room in Oklahoma City. I took off my shirt and lay on the bed. I still had a T shirt on. She later told her parents that Pappy had taken off his shirt and lay on the bed, and it was awkward. -- Ken
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Great posting, Mike - very touching! Two of my granddaughters do the hair thing regularly -- they're so spoiled they spend most of their time just growing their hair. -- Cyn
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Well Mike, you're approaching tearjerkers. What a wonderful child. It seems European children are raised a little more thoughtfully on average. Maybe there's no baby talk. -- Wht
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Mike...that was a beautiful article. Such lovely people! Thanks, as always, for sharing. -- SOY
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Great piece, Mike. -- L. G. Vernon
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Love this! -- Juli
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What a beautiful article. -- Pamela
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Mike, this was a lovely story, and how fun that you and Abby and Bre had lunch together. Please give my best regards to Bre and her family next time you see her. -- Shannon
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I'm real glad that you sent me this story. I'm glad you were ready to share it. And perhaps you only suggested we needed tissues because we might be more moved than you, but I doubt it. I wonder if your tears are stuffed into a pocket somewhere or if they can ever been seen. Whatever the case, good on you for the words. And good on you again for knowing that sometimes there are moments that we just watch, wordless, and are amazed. -- Zoey
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Very loving piece, Mike. Would that more of us learned how to give at that age, and did not forget.-- Kent
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That was a beautiful story, Mike. Thanks for sharing it with me. -- Amanda
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Abby is the daughter of Stephen and Bre McGloughlin of Placerville, and she attends Montessori Country Day School. She is quite precise about her age, saying “I’m 4 and three-fourths years old” and equally articulate in explaining why she gave her hair away. “I want to give my hair to someone who doesn’t have any hair,” she said.
Abby’s mother explained that in October, Abby saw a program on the Discovery Health TV channel. “She saw a little girl who was 5 and had Alopecia, a condition where you can’t grow hair. She’s had the idea to donate her hair since then,” although she admitted that she and her husband tried to talk Abby out of her donation.
“Her hair’s been growing since birth. I only trimmed it once when her brother Brendan put bubble gum in it,” said McGloughlin.
Dressed in a red valentine dress, Abby hopped up and down and swung her little purse back and forth on the big day. She appeared excited and happy that the moment had finally arrived when she could give away her hair. Abby was ready for the shearing, but her parents were not.
“My husband couldn’t bear to come today. He’s worse than I am. She’s daddy’s little girl,” said Bre McGloughlin.
McGloughlin herself came bolstered by the presence of two of her friends. The big event took place at Super Cuts on Golden Center Drive in Placerville, “the only salon I found that worked with Locks of Love,” McGloughlin said. Nine people were in the salon, but Abby did not seem to be intimidated by their presence.
Hairstylist and salon manager Laura Winter seated the little girl on the big salon chair, draped her, brushed her hair out, bundled it into a pony tail, and trimmed off 4 3/4 years of hair growth in just seconds. Then she dampened Abby’s hair, trimmed it to be even and blew it dry. The new Abby was revealed as every bit as beautiful as the old Abby - inside as well as out.
“I’m going to grow it out so I can donate it again,” she said, apparently unfazed by the loss of an entire foot of hair.
Abby has two brothers, Matti, 6, and Brendan, 8, and Bre McGloughlin said she and her husband, who is from Ireland, have raised their children to care about others - although McGloughlin admits it backfires from time to time.
“Brendan came home from school one day without his shoes. I asked him what happened to his shoes, and he said, ‘There’s a boy in my class who didn’t have very nice shoes, so I gave him my shoes,’” McGloughlin said.
Wendy von Haesler, one of McGloughlin’s friends who accompanied her to the salon, said, “Their mom and dad are such wonderful people. They are very giving. She is a giver - always giving, giving, giving.”
Comments?
I enjoyed the essay and the story. Chloe, 6, my granddaughter, said something that amused me. I was babysitting her in a motel room in Oklahoma City. I took off my shirt and lay on the bed. I still had a T shirt on. She later told her parents that Pappy had taken off his shirt and lay on the bed, and it was awkward. -- Ken
_____
Great posting, Mike - very touching! Two of my granddaughters do the hair thing regularly -- they're so spoiled they spend most of their time just growing their hair. -- Cyn
_____
Well Mike, you're approaching tearjerkers. What a wonderful child. It seems European children are raised a little more thoughtfully on average. Maybe there's no baby talk. -- Wht
_____
Mike...that was a beautiful article. Such lovely people! Thanks, as always, for sharing. -- SOY
_____
Great piece, Mike. -- L. G. Vernon
_____
Love this! -- Juli
_____
What a beautiful article. -- Pamela
_____
Mike, this was a lovely story, and how fun that you and Abby and Bre had lunch together. Please give my best regards to Bre and her family next time you see her. -- Shannon
_____
I'm real glad that you sent me this story. I'm glad you were ready to share it. And perhaps you only suggested we needed tissues because we might be more moved than you, but I doubt it. I wonder if your tears are stuffed into a pocket somewhere or if they can ever been seen. Whatever the case, good on you for the words. And good on you again for knowing that sometimes there are moments that we just watch, wordless, and are amazed. -- Zoey
_____
Very loving piece, Mike. Would that more of us learned how to give at that age, and did not forget.-- Kent
_____
That was a beautiful story, Mike. Thanks for sharing it with me. -- Amanda
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