I wasn't diagnosed with Cancer as a child - so I will never know what that is like and the real fears that come with it. I don't have a child diagnosed with Cancer, so I don't have that perspective or the experience of the very real fears it would bring. Shaving my head won't change any of that or give me those experiences, but it will give me a new perspective and the chance to put some of my less productive energy spent worrying about things as simple as hair or whether my motivation for doing this is "OK" into something far more meaningful. The luxury of having the choice to shave my head, instead of being in a situation where losing my hair is happening to me due to circumstances beyond my control, is what's motivating me to do this. I thought about doing it last year, and chickened out. I said I wanted to do it and then used every excuse available to get out of it because I was scared. Was it too "mid-life crisisy"? I was turning 40 and had gotten a divorce and wondered if adding shaving my head to the list was going to bump me up to "Britney: The Rough Years," status. Would friends and family decide I had officially lost it? What would clients think and would I be able to get work? How about potential suitors? Would they have any interest in dating me with a shaved head? The fact that I wouldn't be able to donate my hair because it's heavily treated and processed also provided a convenient excuse because what was the point in doing it when my hair was just going to go in the garbage anyway. When I look at those fears that stopped me, compared to the idea of dealing with Childhood Cancer, it really puts things into perspective. So I suspect, through the experience, I will learn a lot. There are things I am curious about and expecting and I bet there are a load of experiences that will come with this that I can't even begin to imagine. The fact that through this choice, I can learn more about life while also helping to raise money to find a cure for childhood cancers and giving survivors long and healthy lives; that is what has really made me want to participate. - Karen