With nothing but love for her best friend who last year passed away from leukaemia, 10-year-old Aimee Ross did a selfless thing on Friday afternoon.
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The Year 4 Parkes East Public School student headed to Charisma Hair 2870 in Clarinda Street and had her head shaved, raising $2236 in the process.
Aimee wanted to take part in the World's Greatest Shave for the Leukaemia Foundation and help "shave" the world from blood cancer.
Aimee's best friend was Lilly Wyburn, the little fighter who captured the hearts of the Parkes community during her six-and-a-half-year battle with leukaemia.
During this time, Aimee - who had known Lilly since their day care days and attended school together - wrote her letters, drew her pictures and visited her when she came home to Parkes from hospital.
Lilly passed away on November 12 in 2017.
Lilly's family, her mum Jodie and brother Logan, were there watching and supporting Aimee's head shave on Friday.
"She's a very kind, giving young lady," Aimee's mum Tracey Ross said.
"She just wanted to do something for people suffering from blood cancers so they feel supported.
"I'm in awe of her and how great and generous she is. I get goosebumps just thinking 'wow that's my daughter'."
It all first started with Aimee wanting to cut her hair to donate it to make a wig.
But after 12 months of growing it and taking good care of it, Tracey said, Aimee decided to go one step further.
On the footpath in front of Charisma, shop owner and hairdresser Nicole Rosser kindly gave her time to shave off Aimee's 20cm locks before a crowd of supporters and close friends.
Aimee's good friend from the Parkes Musical and Dramatic Society, Rhyse Forrestal, also offered his time to commentate the shave on a PA system.
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"I'm three per cent scared, three per cent nervous and 94 per cent excited," Aimee said before the shave.
Aimee has never had her hair this short before, "except when I was a baby", she said.
She initially aimed to raise $500 for the cause.
"But then we increased the goal to $1000 and then we surpassed that, and increased it to $1500," Tracey said.
By Monday Aimee reached $1881 and on Wednesday those funds exceeded $2200.
Aimee will still donate her locks to be made into a wig for cancer patients.
Tracey said they closed the fundraising on Sunday but added they were still happy to take donations if people wanted to help fund vital research for people with blood cancers, while improving their quality of life.
People can donate to Aimee's page here.
According to the Leukaemia Foundation, every day another 35 Australians are diagnosed with a blood cancer and, although research is improving survival, sadly an Australian loses their life to blood cancer every two hours.
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