Indigenous boy donating hair to cancer patients, raising money for Kemptville hospital

Beneshi Bloom (centre, with Royals shirt) with his teammates after cutting his hair on Nov. 23, 2024. (Scott Rook/CTV News Ottawa)

While Beneshi Bloom is well-known for his long locks of hair on the Kemptville hockey rink, he's decided to trade his most distinct feature for two good causes.

The nine-year-old boy cut his hair on Saturday for it to be donated and someday made into a wig for a cancer patient going through chemotherapy. He's also hoping those in support of his cause will help him raise funds to help buy a new CT scanner for the Kemptville District Hospital.

His hockey teammates on the U11 Kemptville Royals all came to watch him get his new cut after winning their game – part of a tradition on the team.

"Woke up this morning thinking about my game and thinking about how I was going to look after cutting my hair," he said.

For Beneshi, hair means more than just a haircut but one of celebrating culture and tradition.

"It took me around two years to grow this hair. Originally, I was going to grow my hair really long and then braid it because that's the Anishinaabe tradition for boys," he said.

"The braids are like a symbol of strength because when you braid it, it's strong altogether."

Beneshi says he was inspired by a conversation he had with one of his neighbours, who told him about how hair can be donated. He quickly became fascinated by the idea of doing it himself.

"I thought it would put a smile on the person's face because people diagnosed with cancer would go bald sometimes and it would lighten them up having their old hair," he said.

Three of Beneshi's grandparents have died of cancer. His father, Charles Gauthier, recalls showing his son a photo of his late grandmother wearing a wig during her cancer treatment.

"I mentioned to him that she had a wig when she was going through chemotherapy and showed him a picture and he said, 'wow she looks really happy.'"

Beneshi's mother said after some research, they found that people who donate their hair will also get members of the community to donate to another cause. Through the boy's background as a hockey player, he thought raising money for the CT scanner made the most sense for him.

"There's lot of hockey players in Kemptville. I thought if anybody gets a concussion or anything severe, they would have to get a CT scan right away and without that, they wouldn't know," he said.

The boy's parents say despite being "a little overwhelmed at times" by the amount of attention he's getting, they are amazed by how much support he has received and glad the community will benefit.

"He's always had a very big heart and a lot of compassion and empathy," his mother, Tamara Bloom said.

"He's very proud of his culture and traditional values and that's part of this as well. In the spirit of tradition and the spirit of giving and sacrifice. It sums up who he is."

The Kemptville hospital is seeking to raise $2.2 million for the new scanner. Joanne Mavis, executive director of the Kemptville District Hospital Foundation, says they have been working to raise funds for 18 months.

"We have seen the community rise to this in a way that is quite extraordinary," she said.

"Its really embodied this entire community, everybody is getting involved in one way or another."

Beneshi had a goal of raising $1,800 for the hospital. On Saturday, at least $2,200 had been raised.

As for what he thinks of the new 'do'?

"I got the idea from my buddy Tatum, he has about the same haircut as I have right now," the boy said.

"I thought it would look good if me and him had the same haircut."