03/13/2007 2:12 PM ET Nick Swisher: Growing hair for cause By Nick Swisher / MLBPLAYERS.com

Nick Swisher (left) is growing his hair with the intention of donating it so that it will be made into wigs for cancer patients. (AP)

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One of the things that dawned on me when my grandmother, Betty Swisher, was undergoing cancer treatments was how difficult it is for a woman to lose her hair. As men we can shave our heads or crop our hair real close or paint our heads orange and nobody really cares. That's not the case with women.

So I've joined with the Entertainment Industry Foundation and its Women's Cancer Research Fund as an ambassador in a program called Pantene Beautiful Lengths. Not only am I an ambassador for the program but I'm growing my hair out so that I can donate it to help make wigs for cancer patients.

My grandmother passed away from her cancer in August 2005. She was the closest person to me in my life, so I saw first-hand what it was like for her while she was losing some of her hair due to the chemotherapy. I went through it with her.

She was the type of person who always wanted her hair to look perfect. That was her thing. She'd go to get her hair done at the beauty parlor every week, but sure enough a little would fall out. She didn't lose all her hair, but she lost some of it, and it was painful for her.

It's hard enough having to deal with something like cancer without having to be self-conscious about going out in public. Nobody should have to go through that sort of torment. So I'm really excited about this cause. It's close to home with me, so it means that much more.

My hair right now is at 7 ½ inches and I plan to grow it out all the way through April. I want to get the word out there, maybe draw some attention and raise some money. Then I'll have it all chopped off. I might look a little goofy with a shaved head but better me than a woman who already has cancer, right?

Maybe I'll try a mohawk? Who knows? Then as soon as I get it cut, I'll start growing it out again. Even if I can only grow enough hair for one wig, maybe through my visibility in baseball I can also raise a little awareness for this program.

Maybe I can help generate some donations or get some other people to join in and donate some of their own hair. Other than Mike Piazza and Dan Haren, there aren't many guys with good hair on the A's, but maybe I'll try to get some other guys in baseball involved, too.

The Women's Cancer Research Fund is an initiative of the Entertainment Industry Foundation that supports innovative research, education, and outreach directed at the development of more effective approaches to the early diagnosis, treatment and prevention of all women's cancer. To learn how to make a donation to the Women's Cancer Research Fund, visit www.eifoundation.org or to learn about donating healthy hair, visit www.beautifullengths.com.

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