Last year, I participated in my first St. Baldrick's event as a shavee. It was such an incredible and empowering experience, that I'm in for a second year! I don't have as much hair to shave off this year, but I'm just as excited to raise money to help fund childhood cancer research.
My mom's brother, Jan Pieter, was diagnosed with leukemia and died when he was 13. Even though he would have been my uncle, I never call him that when I talk about him, because he never got to be my uncle. I feel like I've missed out on him, and often wonder what he would have been like. Cancer robbed my mom and her sister of their brother and my grandparents of their son. His absence is a void in their life still today. So I'll be shaving my head for Jan Pieter, the uncle I never got to meet, for my mom and Aunt Sabine and my Oma and Opa, who still miss him every day, and for every family who still feels the nasty sting of cancer even after its gone into remission or has won.
Did you know that kids' cancers are different from adult cancers? It's true. And childhood cancer research is extremely underfunded. So I decided to do something about it by raising money for cures.
Now I need your help! Will you make a donation? Every dollar makes a difference for the thousands of infants, children, teens, and young adults fighting childhood cancers.