I went bald to show my support for children with cancer

June 17, 2019

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Back in March, I had the amazing opportunity of participating in an event put on by my school. The event involved many college students (like myself) as well as faculty members, who came together to stand in solidarity with children fighting a battle against cancer. The event is put on by the St. Baldrick's Foundation, which is an incredible foundation that helps raise money to find a cure for pediatric cancers. As I participated in raising money for the event, I learned that childhood cancer research is extremely underfunded. I knew I needed to do something, but donating wasn't enough.

I chose to participate as a shavee a.k.a. I was going to go completely bald, for a variety of reasons. The main driver was because my good friend back home had just been diagnosed with leukemia.

In my home town, it seemed like there was never a time when all of my classmates were cancer-free. It breaks my heart to hear about the cancer diagnoses of so many young people, and to physically see them fight through treatment after treatment of radiation or chemo.

As an empathetic person, it was clearly something I needed to do and something I would do again and again. When people heard I was going to shave my head I got many questions and comments such as "why don't you just donate your hair?" "wow, that's so brave. I could never do that," and "aren't you going to miss your hair?"

I heard what everyone had to say, and I came to one conclusion. This is not about me. It's not about me being brave because honestly shaving my head was not the brave part. The brave part is when students battling cancer go to school even though they are in immense amounts of pain. The brave part is the kids who continue to be optimistic when the odds aren't completely in their favor. The brave part is what I see in my friend from back home.

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The event was a success and I realize that for me this was a sacrifice that I was proud to have made. I lost my hair, but I gained an understanding of how the world looks at bald gals a little bit differently. Some people see a person who is sick and some people will see a girl who looks more like a boy than a girl. It's an eye opening experience and not always the easiest to watch the weird glares and looks as people pass by. But sacrifices come in all shapes and sizes and this was just what I chose to do. I encourage anyone who wants to participate in a similar event to sign up, donate, be a shavee, OR volunteer in any way!

To be honest, I have not always been the most confident person, but this experience forced me to step into a new level of comfort zone. My confidence wavered and still sometimes wavers as my hair continues to grow in, but I've discovered that I have grown as a person. I've discovered that I don't have to have long locks to feel deserving what life has to offer.

I'm amazed by how long my hair has grown in the three months since the St. Baldrick's event. It's at a weird stage where I'm not sure if i should comb it to the back, to the front, to the side, or just wear a hat.

The most amazing part is that my friend has been in remission for a couple of months now and his hair too is growing in just fine! Actually his looks super good. I'm so proud and amazed by his journey in fighting this disease. He is so incredibly strong and has continued to embrace life even though it’s been a tough year. It is still a long tough road to recovery, but he's continued to prove his strength and participate in school and band events.

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After I got my hair completely shaved off, I was acknowledged for receiving an award named after a faculty member who passed away from cancer. I was honored to receive the Greg Maney Award, which is given to the individual who has the most amount of donors. I had over thirty people contribute to help me raise over seven hundred dollars.

It just goes to show you that a little bit can go a long way. I'm happy to have been able to make the impact I did and I'm grateful to all the people who helped me to raise this sum of money.

I was briefly interviewed after the event and asked, "are you planning on participating as a shavee again?"

In the words of Simon Cowell... I would have to say, "it's a yes from me."

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