Congratulations to #BestBaldDad Stuart Smith! This winning photo captured a special moment between father and daughter just after their St. Baldrick’s shave.

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by John Paganelli, dad to Jordan

Jordan, I feel your energy on this day — the one they call “Father’s Day.” For me, each year, it is a day spent reflecting on what I have learned and how my life has been enriched from the unique privilege of being your dad.

In my mind, Father’s Day is NOT about ME…it’s about YOU.

Indeed, it’s about the children in our lives that enlighten and inspire us to peel back the painful layers of burden and reality so as to more clearly expose the somewhat hidden meanings and lessons of life. These lessons often come at a seemingly unfair price — that of sadness, disappointment, and relentless emotional pain. However, this unwelcome “price” quickly shrinks to insignificance as we reflect on the pure joy that comes with the privilege of being the parent of such a remarkable human being.

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by Avery

1. He snuggles with me.

2. He helps me do art.

3. He goes to events with me.

4. He gives me money if I rub his feet.

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1. He kisses us every night.

2. He is a great man!

3. He taught us how to fish.

4. He helps us with our homework.

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by Jennifer Watkins

Our lives were forever changed on December 2, 2010, when our 13-month-old daughter, Jenna, was diagnosed with stage IV high risk neuroblastoma.

The first few days of being in the hospital were grueling as the medical staff ran multiple scans and tests, trying to determine what type of cancer Jenna had. Honestly, those days are all a blur for my husband and me. James had just returned safely from his military deployment to Iraq, and now all we could do was wait as our baby girl geared up for her own battle here at home.

But once we received the official diagnoses and a treatment plan was in place, fight mode kicked in. We were ready to start kicking cancer’s butt!

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We love dads. Especially dads who do cool things like… oh, I don’t know… shave their heads to help kids with cancer!

Father’s Day is around the corner, so let’s get to it. From today until June 16, we want to see your #BestBaldDad photos for a chance to win exclusive Marvel-designed “Super Heroes Save Lives” t-shirts for you and your dad!

Here’s how it works:

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Supercuts manager Olga Howerton is no stranger to a bald head. Olga has worked at Supercuts in Folsom, California, for over eight years, and for the past two years, she has volunteered at the Roseville St. Baldrick’s event as a barber. But this year, Olga decided it was her turn to take a seat in the barber’s chair as a St. Baldrick’s shavee.

When it was time to shave, “I was nervous. Really nervous,” says Olga. “I didn’t know how I was going to look with no hair. There’s nowhere to hide.” But once the barber cut off her 20-inch-long ponytail, Olga felt reinvigorated. “After that, I was like, just go for it! It was a really cool experience.”

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“Your child has cancer.” These four words are heartbreaking for the thousands of families who are affected by childhood cancer every year. For most families, to receive a cancer diagnosis for not one child, but two, is unimaginable.

This is the story of a family who faced the unthinkable and how they have stayed together through it all to embrace a family motto, “Have Faith, Be Strong.”

Jennifer Thayer tells her family’s story.

Breanna was always strong. Strong and positive. Here was my beautiful girl — my girl who loved to dance, who couldn’t wait to start kindergarten, who loved to be the boss of her three brothers — stuck in this icky place. She didn’t know how sick she was, and she didn’t act sick. “Mommy, don’t cry,” she said.

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Tom Serratore, a redshirt sophomore goalkeeper at Valparaiso University (VU) and St. Baldrick’s volunteer event organizer and shavee, proudly wears his #30 jersey to help celebrate raising $30 million for St. Baldrick’s to help cure childhood cancer!

After his friend, Joey Malak, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia their junior year of high school, Tom knew he had to get involved and wanted to find a way to honor and support Joey. He began volunteering with St. Baldrick’s and participating in its signature head-shaving events, including the event at Victor J. Andrew High School in Tinley Park, Illinois.

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A few months ago, I happened to catch part of an interview on the radio with Willie Nelson. Must have been NPR or something, I don’t completely remember, but I do know that he was asked if he could recall the single greatest moment of his life.

He hemmed and hawed a bit and eventually settled on something great with a lowercase g, something mundane and everyday, like playing with his kids, or walking with his wife, or performing on a stage (everyday for him, at least).

Now, it’s likely that Willie Nelson simply can’t remember every hazy, blurred-by-pot moment of his life. But it’s also possible that sometimes the “best” moments are just moments, the simple everyday interactions with those we love: sitting on the porch with great friends eating delicious food, drinking wine and laughing til your stomach hurts. Or snuggling up in bed with your two sweet boys on a lazy Sunday morning. Or knowing, in a quiet easy sort of way, that you picked the right man with whom to spend the rest of your life.

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