Why am I shaving my head, and why should you care?

My father lost his many-year battle against cancer while I was in 6th grade. After having cancer six total times, three times in his foot and three times in his colon, his cancer came back a 7th time in his lungs and bones a few years later, which was too much for his body to handle. About six months after my father's passing, my mother was diagnosed with cancer in her tongue and began chemo and radiation treatment.

During this time, I lived at a friend's house for most of my 6th-grade year as my mother went through her treatment. Because she had parts of her tongue removed during treatment, she had to eat through a feeding tube for almost two years. My mother fought and won her battle with cancer to continue to raise me. My mom remarried in 2014. However, in June of 2025, my stepdad passed away from lung cancer despite having stopped smoking over 20 years ago. A few of my colleagues at Oxbridge have also struggled with their own fights with cancer.

As you can see, I have a long history with cancer and hate this disease and want to do what I can to support research by gathering funding to end cancer for all. Cancer is the 2nd largest cause of death in adults and the 3rd largest cause of death in children. This is a disease humanity can overcome with a consistent effort using improved technology and research.

If you have something extra to give to support life-saving research for children's cancer, I would really appreciate it.

Thank you for taking the time to read my story.

Mr. Nelson