A lot of guys like to grow out their hair, but most of them attribute it to style preference. Cole Peterson grew his hair long for a totally different reason.

In fifth grade, Cole made his first real best friend, Brooke Jones-Landowski. What he didn’t know until that summer was that she battled cancer, and when he saw her at the Mower County Fair a few weeks before entering the sixth grade, it was the last time he would ever see her alive.

“In the very beginning, after Brooke’s death, it was just the way I coped with the death,” Cole said. “Donating was just how I coped with it.”

Cole donated his hair last week, the third time since Brooke’s death.

Now a senior at Austin High School, Cole has donated his hair three times, twice to “Locks of Love”, and this last time to “Wigs for Kids.” This was his last donation due to regulations at the college he hopes to attend in the fall. He had grown it out for four years, and he donated about 20 inches last week.

He hadn’t thought to donate his hair until after his friend had passed away. People could clearly see that Cole had long hair, but most never knew the reason behind that choice.

“I guess it was just like a personal thing. It’s your first experience with death so its just something you keep to yourself,” Cole said. “Everybody knows me for my long hair but I guess now is the time to get it out there, like, the reason why. The real reason.”

Leighsa Peterson, Cole’s mother, has been impressed with her son for his decision to donate since he first made the choice when he was young.

“I was happy that he made a decision like that at such a young age to honor his friend,” Leighsa said. “Our lives have been very blessed with our family having been touched by Brooke.”

Leighsa said her son has never been very serious and has always been very loving and caring, so to deal with so much seriousness when he was young was very hard for him. Yet the experience helped him to strive even more to make people happy.

“Every person wishes for a friend like he is. Seven years later he is still keeping [Brooke’s] memory alive,” Leighsa said.

Whether it is donating his hair or wearing a button with her photo on it to prom, Cole has been doing just that.

“I remember she was really nice, she was really caring, I guess in the sense of what I am today. She was always looking out for people,” Cole said.

Cole said of everything he learned from this experience, it’s to live life to the fullest.

“I never knew that it was going to be my last time to see her at the fair, you just never know,” Cole said.

Leighsa said this last hair cut was bittersweet for her. He has had curly hair since he was young, and this cut doesn’t just mean the end of those curls for her. It also signifies his upcoming high school graduation.

“I will miss the curls because it’s what I associate his childhood with,” Leighsa said. “We both were tearing up pretty good during the cut.”

“I’m kinda happy and kinda sad at the same time that it’s gone,” Cole said. “It was a pretty big part of me, I guess, sometimes I really do miss it.”

Now that his hair has been cut, however, Cole has received many compliments. Leighsa said she does like the new style.

“His hair is very distinguishing,” Leighsa said. “It’s handsome.”