Tiffany Langley and Rebecca Nanna have worked together for three years, as care coordinator and receptionist at Redwood Animal Hospital in downtown Redmond.

Nanna was diagnosed with cancer in 2003, was in remission until early 2005 and then learned that she had cancer again. After her previous chemotherapy, her hair grew back and “I was living life to the fullest,” she said.

Having lost her dark brown hair again, she recently told co-workers that she’d like to try out a different look.

“I had always admired Tiffany’s wild, curly, red hair and just wanted something different,” Nanna explained. “We joked around about it and then she said, ‘We’re doing it. I’m giving you my hair.’ I asked, ‘Are you sure?’”

Langley told Nanna, “It’s yours. From now on, you wake up and fix it everyday!”

Yet Langley knew that getting a wig made for Nanna would be “quite pricey.” She said, “Let’s get the boss to pay for it. And he agreed.”

Langley spent $198 on a very precise haircut and hair products and Dr. Ken Jacobsen, owner of the veterinary practice, sprang $1,526 for the wig.

Since she’d donated hair to Locks of Love in the past, Langley knew that they usually just put the donor’s hair into a ponytail and lopped it off.

But in this case, “They did 20 different ponytails … instead of multiple donations for one wig,” she noted.

The ponytails were dropped off on a Thursday afternoon, Nanna went in for a “molding” that Friday and the wig was ready the very next day.

“It’s very comfortable, made just for my head,” said Nanna. “It feels so good, I start to forget it’s not really attached.”

We asked what reactions she got when people first saw her with her new “do.” The people at her workplace were expecting it, said Nanna, but a lot of the staff at Swedish Cancer Center in Seattle, where she’s been undergoing treatment, didn’t recognize her initially.

And how about reactions to Langley’s transformation?

“Everybody really likes it short,” she replied. “This is the shortest it’s ever been.”

She said she has to spend more time styling it now, since she’d been used to pulling it back to keep it out of the way. “But that’s okay — it grows fast,” she added.

Jacobsen said he wasn’t surprised by Langley’s generous decision to donate her hair to her colleague. And he said he had his own reasons for wanting to help, too.

“My wife has battled breast cancer and she lost a sister to it,” he said. “We hate the disease, but we love Rebecca and love Tiffany.”

Carol Swindaman, an animal massage practitioner and care technician at Redwood Animal Hospital, said the staff there is close-knit and caring. “

This is a wonderful story and one that, considering how things are in the news right, seems like it should be shared,” she told the Redmond Reporter.

Moving into a holiday season of economic uncertainty, Swindaman and Jacobsen said the office will conduct a holiday food drive. And they encourage people to talk to their vets if they’re worried about the expenses of caring for their pets. Pets can provide great comfort under duress, said Jacobsen.

Nanna attested to that, saying, “Even with all I’ve been going through, I won’t give up my cats. I’ll give up my lattes if I have to. My cats keep me calm and relaxed.”

Redwood Animal Hospital is located at 16390 NE 87th St. For information, call (425) 885-6666 or visit www.redwoodah.com.