Free haircuts and beard trims offered at barbershop pop-up in Mississauga

People can get a free haircut or beard trim at an upcoming barbershop pop-up event in Mississauga.

Canadian Blood Services is hosting the three-day pop-up barbershop event to raise awareness about the need for stem cell donors and help interested individuals register to become stem cell donors.

A replica barbershop will be set up in Square One Shopping Centre in Mississauga from Saturday, Feb. 11 to Monday, Feb. 13.

Men or teens between the ages of 17 years old to 35 years old are encouraged to register to become stem cell donors since they generally produce more stem cells and can improve recipient outcomes.

Individuals can get a haircut or beard trim for free while learning more about stem cell donation and the need for more registrants. Guests will take a seat in the chair of a professional barber to get a trim. If they are ready to become a potential donor, the Canadian Blood Services team will be there to help complete their registration.

Right now, nearly 1,000 patients in Canada are waiting for their stem cell transplant, and still don’t know if they’ll find their life-saving stem cell match in time.

Many people have difficulty finding a match due to a lack of diversity in stem cell registries around the world. Patients are more likely to find a matching donor among those who share their ethnic ancestry because stem cell transplants require a close genetic match between donor and recipient.

Sanjay and Nipa Prajapati, parents to twin toddlers Zoey and Misha Prajapati, will be at the event. The twins need a stem cell donor to help them recover from a rare genetic condition which puts them at risk of severe infections from common bacteria and fungi.

“The past two years have been a huge challenge for our family, trying to balance between letting the girls live normal lives and keeping them safe from harmful situations,” says Sanjay.

“We’re looking forward to connecting with the community during the pop-up event to enhance support for families like ours and help raise the needed awareness for more stem cell donors.”

Stem cell donor registry numbers are down since the onset of the pandemic. This event is a new approach for the organization to connect with the community interactively and enroll new donors to the stem cell registry who can match and save a life.

The barbershop will be set up in centre court, across from the lower-level food court from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 11; 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 12; and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 13.

Learn more about stem cell donations here.