MACHIAS – American Legion Post 9 frequently raises money for people who have cancer, but this time some members are putting their heads on the line to show support for a longtime member of the Legion Auxiliary.

Four men and one woman have shaved off their hair so that Julie Moody, 42, won’t be as self-conscious about her own hair loss.

Bar manager Sue Sexton said Legion Auxiliary member Darlene Preston, a longtime friend of Moody’s, was the first to shed her tresses.

“Darlene told Julie she did not want her to be alone, and, if Julie was going to lose her hair, Darlene would lose hers too,” Sexton said.

When Earl Whelock saw Preston, he followed suit.

So did Jeff Wright, Richard Moulton and Bob Ross.

Moulton said Monday that he doesn’t know Moody, but that he did it out of respect for what she is going through.

“It’s hard for a young lady losing her hair,” he said. “If it means doing something like this to support her, I’m all for it.”

Ross said Wayne Wood, owner of Wayne’s Barber Shop in Machias, cut Ross’ 8-inch-long hair free of charge when Wood learned about the Legion effort.

“Everyone is very supportive when I tell them what it is for,” Ross said. “This is what the Legion is all about, members helping each other.”

Sexton said the Legion held a fund-raiser for Moody when she was first diagnosed with the disease, and the latest effort is to show Moody that people care about her.

E.H. Johnson Post 9 has about 350 members, including the Legion Auxiliary and Sons of the American Legion, she said. Many others in the area are living with the disease.

“We try to do as many benefit raffles as we can,” Sexton said, nodding toward a raffle table for the family of a woman who succumbed to the disease late last month.

The benefits are not done so much for the dollars but to show support for people, Sexton said.