First, thank you again for supporting St. Baldrick's in the past! This year I will be shavings my head for the 13th time in honor and memory of Amanda. This beautiful thing we have created is officially a teenager! This is the once-a-year call to action from me to you to help kids in great need.
I will also be doing this in support of Amanda's cousin Owen. He is a five-year-old who was diagnosed with a brain tumor this past fall. I have included a message that their family shared on another fundraising page at the end of this message for those who would like to know a little more about their story.
I am returning to auctioning off the clippers and will be shaving at next week's High Temperature Diagnostic Conference in Boston. A generous donor in attendance will have the option to do as they please with the clippers (and pictures will of course follow) before bringing me to fully bald.
And as always, know I will never lose sight of the reason for doing this. Please never take the light-hearted, dad-joke humor in the messages, or the silly haircuts as a sign that I don't recognize the unthinkable pain cancer has caused for far too many children and their families. People shouldn't be shaving their heads to raise money for cancer research. Kids shouldn't be selling lemonade to fund cancer research. Doctors should have whatever funding they need to provide these kids with the greatest weapons possible against this horrible disease. Unfortunately, that's not the case, and it seems like the funding situation won't be getting better anytime soon. St. Baldrick's is the largest non-government source of funding for Children's Cancer Research because of people like you. So once again I'm sending the signal to you heroes to again rise to the occasion!
"Amanda Conrow, lovingly known as “Panda,” was the original inspiration for the Amanda’s Purple Minions Stroll for Strong team. With her stunning blue eyes, love for the color purple, and endless enthusiasm for Despicable Me, Amanda brought joy to everyone around her.
Owen Laske, the inspiration for Owen’s Orange Braves, is a vibrant, joyful five-year-old who loves the color orange, Kirby (which inspired the purple minion/orange Kirby holding hands!), Pokémon, Legos, his Nintendo Switch, math, Taekwondo, and soccer. He is a kindergartener full of curiosity and determination who loves being with his siblings and lights up every room he enters.
Amanda was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2012 at just three years old and received her care at Golisano Children’s Hospital, where her family experienced firsthand the compassion, expertise, and support that define the hospital’s mission. Although Amanda passed away in February 2015, her legacy lives on through the love she shared and the community that rallied around her.
More than a decade later, in November 2025, her cousin Owen—whom she never had the chance to meet—began his own fight against a brain tumor, receiving care at both Golisano Children’s Hospital and the University of Michigan. Owen remains in active treatment, and his family has been surrounded by the same compassion, support, and even members of the same medical team that cared for Amanda—bringing their journeys together in a powerful and deeply personal way.
The connection between their journeys reflects both the heartbreak and the hope experienced by families facing pediatric cancer."
