$17 Million!

Did you know there are 17 syllables in a haiku?  Well's that perfect because here's a haiku for all of you to celebrate St. Baldrick's raising more than $17 million for childhood cancer research!  

A big thank you

goes to all of our volunteers

for your commitment!

With more than $17 million raised, St. Baldrick's is only $391,761 away from having our biggest year ever! In addition to our incredible fundraising total, we also have more than 34,590 shavees shaving at 695 events in 46 states, the District of Columbia and 9 other countries.  Of these 34,590 shavees, more than 3,400 of them are women and more than 10,880 were kids under 18.  That is absolutely incredible.  St. Baldrick's and all of the kids with cancer are so fortunate to have so many brave men, women, and kids helping to shave the way to conquer kids' cancer!

Here to celebrate $17 million raised, being N.E.D. (no evidence of disease), and having her port removed is 2010 Child Ambassador Sara.  Sara has once again been having a busier month than your average 5 year old.  The Martorano family welcomed a new puppy named Sonny to their busy household and Sara had a CT scan this morning that thankfully came back clear.  This picture shows her and her hero beads waiting for her scan this morning.  Hero beads are given to child cancer patients every time they receive some kind of procedure.  That means every needle stick, every scan, and every treatment earns a new bead for the child.  Sara being the real hero she is has 15 feet 10 inches of beads for her 8 months of treatment.  At approximately 1 centimeter per bead, that makes for more than 475 beads and the number of procedures and treatments Sara has undergone.  But earning another bead wasn't the most exciting part of the day for Sara.  Her favorite part?  Having her port removed and getting Chinese food tonight to celebrate! Congratulations to the entire Martorano family for making it through another cancer obstacle!

To make 2010 our biggest year yet, we still need more than 5,408 shavees, so everyone is encouraged to do their part to support the cause.  To locate or organize an event in your community, sign-up to shave, donate, or volunteer, visit www.StBaldricks.org.  You can also become a Fan on Facebook, follow @StBaldricks on Twitter and visit the St. Baldrick's YouTube Channel.

Caption Left: Sara and her 15 feet 10 inches of hero beads at her CT scan.

Caption Right: Sara showing off the new family addition, Sonny.