I'm shaving my head to raise money for childhood cancer research. Research for childhood cancers can be very different than research for adult cancers. Childhood cancer research is extremely underfunded, every dollar makes a difference for the thousands of infants, children, teens, and young adults fighting childhood cancers. Thank you for supporting this meaningful cause!

Also, please read the following note!!

We have a tendency to think that the act of shaving one's head to raise money for cancer research is also an act of solidarity with people who are fighting cancer as many of them lose their hair when undergoing treatment. While the message that "you don't need hair to be beautiful" is valuable and head shaving is an act of declaring commitment to this cause, we should be wary when linking the image of baldness with cancer.

The challenges faced by those who are battling cancer in their bodies cannot be reduced to a cosmetic appearance. When they lose their hair in the process of receiving treatment for cancer, they will feel self-conscious about their appearance, and indeed, when my hair is shaved off, I will probably also start of feeling kind of awkward about how I look, but these two experiences can by no means by put side by side in comparison. Losing hair is not the only side effect of cancer treatment, other side effects include, but are not limited to: fatigue, insomnia, lymphedema and increased risk of heart failure. 

Furthermore, while most types of cancer treatments come with complex arrays of side effects, not all cause hair loss. Many people receiving treatment for cancer struggle with extremely severe side effects but do not lose their hair. Their experiences should not be undermined just because what they are going through is not directly visible.