CLARIFICATION: CUTTING 8 INCHES, NOT SHAVING 

My whole life, strangers have come up to me, tugging my ponytail, telling me not to cut my hair or saying that I should never dye it, and as strange as I have always found that, my hair has been an important part of who I am and how I perceive myself for my whole life. When I first considered donating my hair, I jokingly worried about losing a core part of my personality, but that joke led to a much deeper level of reflection.

I have seen the effects of kid's cancers firsthand, and I don't think anybody can disagree that it is absolutely heartbreaking. When I worried that cutting eight inches of my hair would somehow send me into a crisis, I began to think about how hair loss is not even remotely close to the biggest challenge children younger than I am have to face every day. If I can take something that I consider to be such a fundamental part of me and alleviate just one tiny minor struggle of a kid going through more than I can even imagine, then whatever ridiculous, irrelevant crisis cutting my hair sends me into will be beyond worth it.

I'm cutting my hair with St. Baldrick's to raise money and help conquer kids' cancers! Every 2 minutes a child is diagnosed with cancer worldwide, and 1 in 5 of those in the U.S. will not survive.

I refuse to accept this reality, so I’ve decided to fundraise for lifesaving research to find cures and better treatments for kids.

Now I need your support! Your donation can fund research to help kids survive and thrive.