Why am I shaving my head?

I recall sitting on the benches of our high school football stadium when EHS held its first Shave for the Brave Event. I remember being moved to tears that March of 2010. The courage, stories, and strength of the children and their families were the personification of hope and determination in the face of frighteningly long and scary names of cancer with even scarier odds of survival. For these young ones and their families, these childhood cancers had become intruders into their daily lives, barging in uninvited, taking over time, energy, resources, and in some cases, lives.

What I did not realize at the time was that a mere 2 months later, I would be diagnosed with breast cancer. Shocked and confused, I made my way through a stream of appointments and procedures, ultimately and gratefully finding myself on "this side" of cancer. It was both a whirlwind and a drudge of 9 long months that included surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. Still, I am ever so grateful to say that I now approach 16 years of being cancer-free. I KNOW that the success of my treatments was built on decades of research and protocols that have become increasingly pinpointed and precise, and for this, I truly owe my life.

I lost my hair while the strong chemotherapy drugs coursed through my body over a four and a half month period in 2010. And after that, my hair grew back. And my hair will grow back again after I shave it this time (my soon-to-be 3rd time as a shavee for St. Baldrick’s).

I am shaving this March to contribute awareness and $$$ to help fund research for children's cancers. We cannot change the fact that these children HAVE cancer, but the act of shaving and the money raised by doing so CAN make a difference for these children and hopefully for others too. Let’s stand beside these kids!

With deep and genuine gratitude for any donation, large or small– TK