Hello, it's me again. Rhys Goldman. I know I might not look the same, but here I am, a year older and many hairs short (and a few long)! I was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in April of 2015, right before my 6th birthday and now I am so close to the end of my treatment (July 2018). April 21st, 2018 will be the 4th birthday I've celebrated while in treatment. It's been a rollercoaster ride, but one good thing to come out of this is that I and my family have raised a lot of money for the St. Baldrick's Foundation, which helps support pediatric cancer research. If you want to know more about me, click on my honored kid link at the bottom of the page, but first read on for more important matters.
Thank goodness Mom is letting me shave again this year. Last year my hair had grown out after my 2016 shave, and I wanted to donate it to other kids with cancer, but mom loved my long curly locks too much to let me go bald so soon. Well, thanks to chemo, that happened unexpectedly anyway, and by the end of 2017 I was pretty much bald again except for a few pieces of hair that refused to fall out. As you can see from my picture, it's grown in some, though we kept those long stragglers. Rhys' Pieces (of hair) are a reminder that even the "easy" chemo, which is what maintenance was touted to be, is harder than it should be; but hair grows back. Lost childhood moments and kids' lives are harder to replace.
Last year, with your help, I was one of the Top 30 fundraisers for St. Baldrick's Foundation, with a total of $24, 870 raised to fund childhood cancer research. This year I want to be in the Top 10, with a goal of $50,000! Yeah, I know, that seems crazy high, but with your help and the support of my parents and brothers, who are also going to shave with me, I know we can do this.