About 15 years ago I was inspired by a friend who shaved her head to raise money for children's cancer research. I had never heard of that type of fundraising before. What a cool thing to do with a part of your body that you don't really need, yet somehow is so important to your identity, I thought. I should do that, I thought. Why not? I'd do it next Spring, I decided. Then next Spring came around, I thought about it, and another year passed. And another. And another. I couldn't quite get up the guts to go through with it. Turns out that I was pretty tied to that vanity of identity after all. Well… I'll do it if I ever have a kid, I told myself.
It was looking like I'd be getting out of both of those someday plans for a long time. And then little Dirk Vaden finally found his way to us. And the crazy ridiculous love that I feel for this little creature, a kind of love that hurts my guts sometimes because it's so strong, made it perfectly clear, without any doubts in my head, that I was finally going to follow through with my once unclear intention to shave my head to help find a cure for childhood cancer. I can't pretend to know the unbearable sorrow a parent with a sick child feels, but I think my understanding might be a little bit clearer now. And if I can help even a tiny bit, by just letting go of a little bit of my own vanity and braving a simple head shave, I'm finally ready to jump at the chance.
I only recently learned that children's cancer is significantly different than adult cancer. Not only that, but children's cancer research is grossly underfunded compared to research for adults. It just isn't as profitable. St. Baldrick's is working to bridge that gap. You can learn more about the science, the funding gap, and about the specific research being funded here on the St. Baldrick's webpage.
I love the idea of funding diverse cancer researchers all over the world and encouraging their collaboration, rather than funneling all the money to big corporations and powerful pharmaceutical companies. And I love the idea of individuals all over the world making it happen through such a simple act. A bald head in solidarity. Thousands of bald heads in direct monetary support. I'm excited to join in, and I hope you'll help me reach my small monetary goal to help fund this important research, as well as support my decision to finally let go of a little bit of my vanity and raise awareness for children's cancer wherever I go this summer, bald head shining.
Thank you so much for any amount you are able to donate. Or, if funds are tight, I hope you'll at least come out to Migration Brewing on Sunday May 21st to share the excitement with me and Poncho and our shave team, The Baldhip Roses, and raise a toast to all those brave sweeties who have fought and continue to fight against cancer. A portion of the proceeds that day will be donated to St. Baldrick's, so DRINK UP!!!I
And if you're ready to lose your locks yourself, I'm recruiting for our head shaving team, The Baldhip Roses-- please consider joining us and get a head start on your carefree summer cut! Just click "Join Me" to sign up!
I'll also be donating my hair to Children With Hair Loss, you can read about their mission at http://www.childrenwithhairloss.us/.
And another wonderful organization also working to fund researchers looking for a cure is Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation-- you can read about their beautiful story at https://www.alexslemonade.org/.
Thanks for reading,
Heather
