2 friends raising funds for Valley Children's, donating hair to Locks of Love

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Two friends are taking action to raise money for children in need of medical care.

Eddie Cardenas still remembers the day his mom drove almost two hours from Ceres to Valley Children's Hospital in Madera. He was 14 years old.

"I started getting some like agonizing symptoms. I was having fatigue, delirium, headaches, more like migraines, lightheadedness, dizziness, and I started to pass out, have seizures," Cardenas shared.

His pediatrician recommended the hospital because of their specialized care.

"I got diagnosed with viral encephalitis and acute cerebellar ataxia, and there, they were able to get me stable and they actually saved my life," said Cardenas.

He is now 26 years old. He's healthy, thriving and eager to give back to the place that gave him the opportunity to be here today.

"For that reason, I'm doing this fundraiser where I will be donating my hair while trying to raise funds," Cardenas said in a video, announcing the fundraiser.

It's two fundraisers for two organizations -- all in one.

Eddie's long-time friend, Matthew Gabriel Robles-Hernandez, will also be part of it.

The duo's goal is to raise $10,000 for Valley Children's.

In addition, they'll also be donating their hair to the national organization Locks of Love, which makes wigs for kids dealing with medical hair loss.

"I will be cutting off a corresponding length of hair. So $1,000, it'll be the minimum length, which is 10 inches that they need to make a wig. We've already reached that, so that's great! $5,000, it'll be the ponytail length. So it's actually really, really long," said Cardenas.

The men are happy to be helping kids across the country, but most importantly, in Central California.

The Valley Children's Healthcare Foundation president said it's the community's generosity that allows them to continue to save the lives of children.

"We send it right to the bedside," said Rob Saroyan. "Every year, there's something new, more challenging that surfaces. It's the philanthropy that people generate that allow us to achieve that."

The two men have reached 50% of their fundraising goal.

If you're interested in donating, visit the fundraiser page. You can also text "HAIR 4 VCH" to (202) 858-1233.