This will be the 14th year I shave my head as part of the St. Baldrick’s Foundation and I’m asking for your support. Sure, I get a free haircut out of it, which I suppose is nice in these days of quarantine due to COVID-19. But there’s a LOT more to it than that. I'm shaving off all the hair on my head for four reasons:
(1) Show support of all those courageous kids who undergo treatment for cancer everyday and lose their hair in the process, and their equally courageous families. They would love if their biggest problem was simply being stuck at home due to COVID-19.
(2) Play a tangible role in the effort to raise money for the cause, providing hope to the families that there are better treatments every day and one day there will be a cure. I fear in these uncertain times of COVID-19 important fundraising to support the fight again children's cancer will be impacted.
(3) Recognize and humbly say, “I’m so sorry,” to those who have lost children to cancer, including my parents decades ago and some good friends just this past year. I hope the separation necessitated by COVID-19 hasn't made people's burden heavier.
(4) Remind all the people in my life, whether I see them every day or only once every couple of years, how blessed we are to have children in our lives (or how blessed someone was to have had us as their child), how precious all our lives are, and how JOYFUL we should be each and every day. In these days of COVID-19 and social distancing, I truly look forward to when we can celebrate in close proximity again.
I've had a lot of "non-standard" hairstyles in my life - rat-tails, perms and high-lights among them, but this is my favorite! Not because it looks the best (hint: it doesn’t ;^), but because it’s the only one that has a chance to make a difference in others’ lives.
Please consider making a donation to this effort and helping support those dealing with children's cancer. Any amount is sincerely appreciated and will help achieve the stretch goal.
We will strive to be significant and we will succeed!!