head shaving

2017 was a big year, full of breakthroughs, incredible stories and some pretty amazing achievements in the childhood cancer world. Join us as we reflect on St. Baldrick’s top 10 highlights of the past year — and make sure you give yourself a pat on the back, because much of this was possible because of YOU!

Are you ready to take a trip down memory lane? Here we go …

1) Passage of the RACE Act

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Someone you know is shaving their head for childhood cancer research and is asking YOU for a donation. But why should you give?

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Adam Rosowicz once told his wife that he’d give his life if it would save one kid with cancer. Now, thanks to his love for St. Baldrick’s and others’ love for him, the long-time shavee and his family are saving countless lives. Since Adam’s passing in June from cancer, the St. Baldrick’s memorial page established in his honor has raised $30,000 – and counting – to fund childhood cancer research and help kids live long, healthy lives.

Adam and Christine, married for 21 years, share a kiss during a St. Baldrick’s head-shaving event.

When Adam Rosowicz was in college, he worked multiple jobs to help his parents with the cost of tuition. When he was renovating a house with his wife, Christine, he would run wires at night, so she wouldn’t be without electricity during the day. And year after year, he would sit down in the St. Baldrick’s barber’s chair with a smile on his face, a beer in his hand and zero hesitation. That was the kind of man he was. Generous, hardworking and kind, Adam put everyone else before himself.

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First comes Black Friday. Then Cyber Monday. Then, on November 28, it’s #GivingTuesday, the day when people around the world give back. This year, our face of Giving Tuesday is Honored Kid Grace – AKA the Ninja Princess. Why is she jazzed about raising critical funds for research? Maybe because researchers are cancer-fighting ninjas just like her!

7-year-old Honored Kid Grace loves everything pink, frilly and powerful. She’s been learning karate since this summer and recently earned her orange belt, even after relapsing with cancer.

When she relapsed in August, Grace’s first question to her mom, Melissa, was a question no parent ever wants to hear.

The 7-year-old asked, “Will I die?”

“‘No,’ we told her, because we were going to fight the cancer,” Melissa recalled. “‘Good,’ she said, ‘because I want to grow up and get married and be a mom.’”

Rightly known as the ‘Ninja Princess,’ Grace Ellen has fought for most of her life. Her parents affectionately call her their ‘alpha female,’ because, as her mom said, “she’s always known who she is, what she likes, and she doesn’t let anything get in her way. Not even cancer.”

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They say the early bird gets the worm, but at St. Baldrick’s, the early bird gets a cruise! That’s right – it’s time for the St. Baldrick’s Participant Sweepstakes, when participants who register and raise money early get a chance at the trip of a lifetime. Read on for tales from last year’s lucky shavee and the details on how YOU can be a winner.

Six-time shavee Jim and his family won big through the St. Baldrick’s Participant Sweepstakes — they won a weeklong Disney cruise! Here they are enjoying the beach at Castaway Cay, Disney’s private island in the Bahamas.

When Jim Varagona got an email saying he had won a free trip, he was skeptical. Did he get hacked? Was it a scam?

“I read the email and it looked legit, but you can’t be too sure when being told you’re a prize winner,” he said.

Then he listened to a voicemail he had just received. It was from the St. Baldrick’s Foundation. A six-time shavee and passionate fundraiser for kids’ cancer research, Jim had been randomly picked as the winner of the 2016 St. Baldrick’s Participant Sweepstakes.

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Need some inspiration? Meet 10-year-old Mason. The baseball player with the big heart is a St. Baldrick’s team captain and three-time shavee℠. What keeps this special kid shaving and fundraising for kids’ cancer research? Read on to find out.

Mason is all smiles after his first shave with St. Baldrick’s in 2015 (left) and his second shave in 2016.

No one has ever won the Forsyth County school district’s “Spirit of Rachel” award twice – until Mason.

Created in memory of Rachel Scott, the first victim of the Columbine shootings, the award remembers her legacy of compassion and kindness to others. It recognizes an elementary school student in the North Carolina school district who exemplifies this character.

Nominated by his teachers, Mason was its first two-time recipient. Ever.

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In April of 2013, our family joined the club that no one wants to be in – the childhood cancer club. We were told that our 2-year-old daughter, Hazel, had Stage 3, high-risk neuroblastoma, which came with the added baggage of only about a 50% survival rate. To say we were utterly terrified and shell-shocked would be an understatement.

Honored Kid Hazel and her mom, Lauren, smile together during a day at the park.

But our daughter adapted to her new normal with ease and bravery. She guided us in our fight and inspired us in our determination to get through this arduous journey and give her the best chance, not only at survival, but at living a full life.

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Honored Kid David was bright, charming and totally dedicated to embracing life. He also had childhood cancer. David asked his family to fight for a cure — a cure that didn’t come soon enough for him. Read on to learn more about this spectacular 10-year-old, his childhood cancer journey and why his mom, Susan, is passionate about research.

David hugs his mom, Susan, at a fundraising event.

Who would David be if he had grown up?

His mom can’t help but wonder. If he’d lived, he’d be a teenager now.

Would he still have that obsession with colorful skinny jeans? Would that cello he insisted upon getting still be gathering dust? Would he still be that bubbly, charismatic kid she remembers?

What if childhood cancer research hadn’t failed him?

That’s what Susan Heard wonders.

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No one knows the importance of funding research better than the Swart family. Since receiving CAR T cell therapy and a bone marrow transplant, Honored Kid Zach Swart is getting healthier by the day. And it’s all thanks to research supported by St. Baldrick’s. Read on to find out how the Swart family — and their whole community — is giving back to research in a big way.

The family of event organizer Gloria Darmanin line up to go under the clippers at the Saugerties, N.Y. event, which honored Zach and other local kids with cancer. Photo by Veronica Chewens

Zach had his 16th birthday last week. Despite not feeling well due to difficulty withdrawing from his pain medication, it was still cause for celebration.

His mom, Nancy, says there’s much to be thankful for.

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When people say good things come in small packages, they must be talking about Honored Kid Gabriella. Read on to find out more about this pint-sized inspiration and how her family is showing their love not only for her, but also for other kids with cancer.

Gabriella with her sisters and mom, Jennifer. From left to right:  Sophia, Adriana, Gabriella, Jennifer, and Sabella.

There’s something very special about Gabriella. Behind her contagious laugh and love for cracking jokes is deep compassion for others far beyond her seven years. This gift gives Gabriella the ability to inspire and touch the hearts of all who know her.

But it wasn’t always that way.

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