A 15-YEAR-old rock fan has ‘braved the shave’, raising funds for the Wales Air Ambulance Charity and donating his hair to the Little Princesses Trust.
Hector Marshall, who loves singing and playing guitar, has been growing his hair since he was 5. He decided to support the lifesaving service after his aunt Sarah Davies suffered a serious health emergency.
Sarah’s husband Morgan found her unconscious and unresponsive at their family home in Llantwit Major. She contracted a brain infection caused by meningococcal meningitis and is currently in hospital receiving treatment and rehabilitation.
Hector, who lives in Newbury, said: “After the air ambulance medics attended my auntie and saved her life, it opened my eyes to the work they do.
“I thought it would be a cool thing to do for them. Helping raise awareness and funds for this incredible organisation is my way of saying thank you!
“It’s a really awesome charity, helping others and saving lives. It’s inspired me to want to do more to support the cause.”
Wales Air Ambulance is consultant-led, taking hospital-standard treatments to the patient and if required, transferring them directly to the most appropriate hospital for their illness or injury.
It is delivered via a unique Third Sector and Public Sector partnership. The Emergency Medical Retrieval and Transfer Service (EMRTS) supplies highly skilled NHS consultants and critical care practitioners who work on board the Charity’s vehicles.
As a pan-Wales service, the dedicated air ambulance crews, regardless of where they are based, will travel the length and breadth of the country to deliver emergency lifesaving care.
Hector, who will sit his GCSEs next Summer, said: “I have been growing my hair for such a long time, so people were surprised when I said I was going to get it shaved off.
“Lots of my friends at school were all kind of shocked when they heard. But they really got behind it and supported me, and a few of them even got a buzz cut too.
“Loads of family came along to watch me get it done at a local barber. We then had a karaoke night – there were lots of duets, so it was a fun way to end the day.”
The Wales Air Ambulance Charity needs to raise £11.2 million each year to keep its helicopters in the air and rapid response vehicles on the road. Donations and fundraising events are key to the service’s survival.
Hector’s mum Claire is “very proud of him” after the Year 11 pupil raised just over £2,000 for the lifesaving charity.
Speaking about Sarah’s medical emergency, Claire said: “When Morgan called to say that doctors had arrived in the air ambulance, I knew that it was serious because they deal with critically ill patients.
“We are so grateful to the air ambulance for bringing the doctors to Sarah. They gave her the critical care that she needed and decided to take her to the specific Neuro ward at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff.
“They then flew her to the hospital and it’s since been a rollercoaster for her and the whole family.”
Claire added: “Hector’s fundraiser has given us all a chance to come together and celebrate Sarah and do something positive for the team that saved her.
“When he came to me and said, ‘you can shave your head and donate it to kids with cancer, I want to do that’ and raise money for the air ambulance, I just thought, what a big-hearted boy.”
Hector’s hair has been donated to the Little Princesses Trust which transforms human hair into wigs for children undergoing chemotherapy.
Claire said: “He has been growing his hair forever. He was in a rock band and it was part of his identity. For him to let go of it for two incredible causes is such a gorgeous thing to do.”
Wales Air Ambulance Charity’s Regional Fundraising Manager, Abi Pearce said: “We want to extend our well wishes to Sarah as she continues her recovery in hospital.
“We are so touched that Hector chose to fundraise for our charity after our team helped his aunt. The donation of his hair to the incredible Little Princesses Trust alongside his fundraising just shows the kind-hearted person he is. What a super role model!
“It’s wonderful that his friends showed their support by having their heads shaved too.
“Our charity relies on fundraisers like this to help us keep our helicopters in the sky and rapid response vehicles on the road.
“We are hugely grateful for the money raised by Hector and the effort he has made to raise awareness about what we do.”
