Why am I shaving my head, and why should you care?
Why am I shaving my head?
Because F$@# Cancer
In December 2015, our family was preparing for the holidays. Stanley was 13 months old. He had only been walking a few weeks and was using his newfound freedom to investigate the world around him. We were "normal" –a mother, father, sister, and brother enjoying the hope and promise of the season.
Everything came crashing down one night when we thought Stanley swallowed something. He was gagging and drooling, so we rushed him to the emergency room. By the time we made it there he was fine, but we figured we had come all that way and it was probably smarter to just have him checked out. The ER doctor wanted to do a chest x-ray to make sure nothing was lodged anywhere, and while we waited for radiology he decided to do a full exam. When he felt Stanley’s abdomen he realized his spleen was enlarged. The next nine hours were a whirlwind; labs were ordered, they placed an IV, an ambulance came and whisked us away to The Cleveland Clinic. Nine hours with no answers, no information….just fear, panic, and the deep, sinking feeling in our guts that something was very, very wrong.
The next evening, after a day of doctors, examinations, and bloodwork, we were taken to a conference room. And just like that, our lives changed. Our son had cancer and we would never, ever be the same.
completely overwhelmed. We had to adjust to our new normal, and everything felt so surreal. But soon, we became very aware of our powerlessness. We had no control. The cancer surely seemed to have more control over Stanley’s life than we did, but it was more than that; the doctors, the pharmacists, the insurance company….everyone involved in Stanley’s care seemed to have more power than we did. It was during that time that we discovered the St. Baldrick’s Foundation. We learned how severely underfunded childhood cancer is, and about St. Baldrick’s efforts to bridge that funding gap.
Why should you Care?
Because F$@# Cancer
And because your child could be that 1 in 5 kid that dies from a Cancer. Caring now means finding more effective and less harsh ways of treating cancer in children. Caring now means less Children suffering. Caring now means a Child gets to play their favorite sport again or write a best-selling book. It means they get to hold there little sibling or be held by their older sibling. Care now when you have the luxury to not care because those in the darkest part of their life need as many people holding a light.
Together, let’s give these kids the lifetime they deserve. Thank you for your support!
