Emirati boy grows his hair to donate to cancer patients

An eight-year-old Emirati boy is being lauded for his courage, compassion, and confidence as he has been growing his hair - which is now 17cm (below his shoulder) - to donate it to cancer care organisations to make wigs for cancer patients. Grade two student at Al Mawakeb School, Al Khawaneej branch Omar Mohammed Al Hajjaj has become a sensation in the Emirati community not only for the good cause also because he was invited to Al Bateen Palace in Abu Dhabi, where his effort was lauded by none other than His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai.
Recalling a memorable moment he shared with Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, little Omar said: " He praised me for the effort I am making to spread happiness in the world and also asked if he could take a picture with me. That made me so happy and proud." Omar's picture with Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed has become so popular in the community that people are now using it as a sticker on social media apps.

Omar, who is the youngest in his family and has an elder brother and sister, has been growing his hair from the age of three since he saw his young aunt struggle with cancer.
Speaking to Khaleej Times, Omar's mother Amira Yousuf, said: "Since my children have seen my younger sister battle cancer, they have pledged their support in some of the other ways to support cancer patients. My children saw her through the treatment - when she was sick and then when she became better. They would ask a lot of questions asking about what was happening to her. We answered them positively and didn't hide anything from them, this is what gave them the inspiration to help those in need."
Alissar Nasr, chief academic officer at AMSI, a company that manages Al Mawakeb schools, said: "During one of my rounds at the school I saw Omar with unusually long hair I asked him the story behind it. He told me he was growing his hair to a certain length so that he could donate it for cancer patients. I was completely blown away by the innocence and determination of this child. Omar has become an inspiration not only for the whole school but also for us teachers."
This is the third time that Omar is growing his hair to donate it. His mother introduced him to the practice when he was just three and since then Omar has not stopped.
When asked when and where will Omar be donating his hair, Nasr said: "Omar's hair is now 17cm but he intends to grow it a bit more and will chop it after Eid and donate it to one of the cancer care organisations. While most of the organisations require between 15cm-17cm of hair length, some require it to reach till 30cm. Hence, Omar is waiting to grow some more."
Omar's parents have honoured the school by deciding to get his hairchopped on the school premises by the hand of Alissar herself as a sign of thanking them.
Meeting with the UAE leaders was not at all planned.
Talking about how it all happened, Nasr said: "We just wanted to inspire people by sharing the story of Omar but we were invited by the Ministry of Education to join the launch of an initiative called Adheedk (Arabic for Your Assistant) which is a family-school application that seeks to enhance social cohesion and promote best educational practices. Eight families were selected to accompany the MoE delegation to the Al Bateen palace in Abu Dhabi and Omar's was one of them."
On May 21, 2019, the initiative was launched at Al Bateen Palace and Their Highnesses Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid and Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed received a delegation from the Ministry of Education and a group of Emirati model, inspirational families. Omar, his family, and Nasr were also one of them.
Omar also got a chance to meet a number of Sheikhs and ministers on the launching ceremony of Adheedk, these included Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai; Lt-General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior; Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs; Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
"As soon as Omar saw Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, he ran up to him and hugged him. He later went and affectionately met all the other leasers present. Later, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed even came to Omar and asked him to take a picture of him," Nasr said.
Lauding Omar's parents, she said: "Omar's parents are humble and have strong cultural values that they have passed on to their children. His father is a judge and his mother has dedicated over 15 years working in the UAE Army. It is commendable that his parents let him make a choice of doing good in his own sweet way and they supported him too. By highlighting Omar's story, we aim to inspire the community to not judge before taking a few moments out and understand someone's story."
saman@khaleejtimes.com