A few years ago I had two of my best friends shave their heads for a St. Baldrick's event at Trinity Hall, they are some of the most awesome and brave women I know, and I am proud to call them family. I decided that 2018 should be my year to step up and take my turn. I have known too many people in my life that have been impacted by cancer to not personally put my head in the game. 

So after attending a few weddings in early 2017 I decided to step up the challenge. I would spent the next 13 months growing out my beard and hair, as a personal challenge. The limitations of this challenge were that I was not allowed to shave, trim, or cut any of my hair from the neck up. I can tell you these past 12 months so far I have wanted a shave and a haircut more desperately than I could have ever imagined! 

The reason I set this challenge upon myself were two fold.
First, I wanted to to be able to donate my hair, and after a year of growth so far I am just barely over 8 inches, so I hit that goal, which I am very excited about.
Second, I wanted to grow accustomed to caring for and maintaining a lot of hair. People who are undergoing cancer treatments will face a sudden loss of something they have grown to care for and never expected to lose until suddenly one day it was gone. I want to experience that sense of loss with them. Have the daily reminders all over my house of brushes shampoos and conditioners, that will suddenly not only become useless but will also act as a reminder of what I no longer have. 

Unexpectedly during the time that I was growing out my hair for this event my father was diagnosed with lung cancer. He has been taking well to treatments so far, and doctors are very hopeful, but it has been a reinforcement of my decision to take part in this event.