After a crazy election year dominated by “fake news,” you deserve a real news flash: On March 10th I will again shave my head for St. Baldrick's,
Why am I shaving for the 13th consecutive year?
• Because since our son Joey was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in 2005, nearly two million other kids have been diagnosed with cancer. Of those, 20 percent have died, including each of Joey's roommates during his stays at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York.
• Because thanks to your annual generosity, St Baldrick’s fundraising has grown from $5 million the first year I shaved in 2005 to $38 million last year, allowing it to fund more pediatric cancer research grants than any institution other than the U.S. government.
• Because progress is being made. Dr. Peter Adamson, chairman of the Children s Oncology Group, puts it this way: “We are entering an era of unbelievable scientific discovery. But if we don t turn these discoveries into cures, we will have failed another generation of children.”
You can count on your donation being used effectively and responsibly to fund research to find cures and give survivors long and healthy lives. Although I concluded my service as chairman of the Foundation’s board last summer, I continue to admire the way The St. B’s scientific advisory council uses the peer review process to make recommendations on funding the most promising research, like Dr. Alice Yu’s new drug to treat neuroblastoma in 2015: “The research that led to dinutuximab’s FDA approval was decades in the making, and the St. Baldrick’s Foundation helped to make it possible with their funding of my work,” Dr. Yu said.
So that's why I am again asking for your generous support on my soon-to-be-bald head. You can give directly here https://www.stbaldricks.org/participants/chuck or by phone (888-899-BALD). Credit cards are the easiest way to give, or you can send or bring a check payable to "St. Baldrick's Foundation."
If you're in the area on March 10th, please join us at the Northside Knights of Columbus. It's a fun and memorable party, with a buffet dinner beginning at 6:00 p.m. It may be the only event you'll attend this year where you can mingle with brave baldies, leading pediatric oncologists and survivors of pediatric cancer.
Our family is one of the lucky ones. Joey is now a 20-year old sophomore at Indiana University and is counted as a “survivor.” Please help us give other families’ stories a happy ending. Whether you are a first-time contributor or one who has been with us in supporting this cause for years, I truly appreciate your support. Thank you!
