I know some people are wondering why I am shaving my head AGAIN... And I suppose that there is more than one answer. I am shaving my head again because there are still kids living with, and dying from, this awful disease every day! This year, I am shaving in honor of a 19 year old MSU student. She has been diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer and is facing a bilateral mastectomy on top of chemo and radiation! ...Not what any child's college dreams are made of! I am shaving again because it is the surest way I know to get my students involved with this amazing organization... And whether they sign up to shave or to volunteer, it opens up an important discussion in the classroom and instills in them a sense of empathy that I believe will last a life time. I watch my students revel in their participation~ being aware that they are a part of something so large, it cannot be contained within the four walls of our classroom.
I am shaving again because the memories of being a cancer patient are not that distant in my heart. I remember the kindness of others that made some of my darkest days a little bit brighter. I remember the generosity of strangers that allowed me to be cared for at Sloan Kettering in New York City... Our flights made possible by corporate planes via Angel Flights, our lodging at the Ronald McDonald house thanks to all those coins dropped into the drive through window collection boxes, make overs in the hospital thanks to the, "Look Better, Feel Better" program, and countless other acts of kindness. The money you donate to St. Baldrick's doesn't just help scientists, it also helps the children and their families; it funds the random acts of kindness that make this unbearable time a bit more bearable.
I am shaving again because I am a mother and a teacher. Because the thought of one of my children, or one of my students, having to live through this tragedy (that I know too well!) is simply more than I can imagine. I cannot bear to sit back and not participate.
And I am shaving again because I believe that Hope is a powerful thing~ I am shaving with the hope of someday never having to shave again, never having to captain another team, or to plan another event! I am shaving for the fourth time with the hope that a future without childhood cancer does, in fact, exist!
Will you join me? How can you help?
Whether you donate money, time, auction items, baked goods, bottled water or cans of pop, you will be making a difference in the life of a child! If making a donation is not possible for you at this time, perhaps you would consider sharing my link through your social media network.
Thank you for your endless support, it is appreciated more than you will ever know!
Sincerely,
Karrie