12/23/2025
A haircut is more than just a trim for Tammie Bynum, oncology nurse at the Marshall Cancer Care Center. Bynum grows her hair for two years before getting it snipped off and transformed into a wig for a sick child. She started sharing her tresses 15 years ago after watching patients deal with hair loss.
“I saw what patients were going through and I had something that could help,” she recalls. “It’s the least I can do.”
The Fyffe resident says when her dark hair turned gray she wasn’t sure anyone would want it, but the website for Wigs for Kids makes it clear that ‘Gray is okay.’
Bynum knew as a child growing up in Cullman that she wanted to be a nurse. She got married and had her son and daughter before beginning nursing school. She graduated in 1995 and worked as a dialysis nurse for 10 years before moving into oncology to care for cancer patients in 2006. She never looked back.
“God absolutely planted me here,” she says.
Bynum’s daughter had the honor of cutting her mom’s long hair for the first two donations, which are required to be at least 12 inches long in order to make a wig. She had worn her hair long for a while but getting it cut and styled sometimes was an issue. She decided instead to let it grow long and straight in order to help those dealing with the heartbreak of losing their hair.
“My hope was to inspire others to do this,” she says.
Wigs for Kids is a nonprofit organization that has been serving children experiencing medical hair loss since 1981. According to its website, Wigs For Kids brings together stylists and hair donors who want to help children experiencing hair loss from cancer or any other medical cause of hair loss.
