Participant 1130271

Nick Psaris Before
Nick Psaris After

Nick Psaris

shaved to cure childhood cancers!

Mar 1, 2024 • 4:00 pm

Event: Hong Kong International School 17th Annual St. Baldrick's Event

At: MS Black Box Theatre

700 Tai Tam Reservoir Road, Middle School Gym, Tai Tam HK

Conquer Kids' Cancer

Fundraising

$26,394Raised

$30,000 GOAL

$30,000 GOAL

(888) 899-2253

Download Donation Form

Participant 1130271

Participant 1130271

Milestones & Stretch Goals

$ 26,394
  • GOAL 30,000 $
  • $20,000 - Shave Beard

  • $25,000 - Shave Eyebrows

Every 2 minutes a child is diagnosed with cancer. Help me fund the research that will save their lives!

Fundraising

$26,394Raised

$30,000 GOAL

$30,000 GOAL

(888) 899-2253

Download Donation Form

Participant 1130271

Celebrating 25 Years

St. Baldrick’s started as a grassroots effort 25 years ago, driven by people who believe in helping kids with cancer.

National Partner

I shaved to raise money for childhood cancer research with: Team Jasmine

Mar 1, 2024 • 4:00 pm

Event: Hong Kong International School 17th Annual St. Baldrick's Event

At: MS Black Box Theatre

700 Tai Tam Reservoir Road, Middle School Gym, Tai Tam HK

I shaved to raise money for childhood cancer research with: Team Jasmine

Imagine a world where pediatric cancer was curable.  What if we could detect it early, use effective remedies, and send our children back to school to learn and play with their friends? We could look back at the time spent together in the hospital with fondness -- joking about the funny things we did with the surgical gloves, the stories we told as we spent nights on the pull-away cots, the books we read, the arts we crafted and the friendships we made with the amazing doctors and nurses. I'm shaving bald to raise money for pediatric cancer research so we don't have to imagine a world like this. Whether I shave my beard and eyebrows too is up to you!

My daughter Jasmine was diagnosed with bone cancer (osteosarcoma) in 2014 when she was 10 years old. She was tall for her age because the cells at either end of her long bones were dividing fast. One cell made a mistake during replication and lost its ability to 'play fairly'. But what if we could detect those cells early and remove them before they multiplied too many times? Sure, perhaps surgery would be required, but life would go on. Unfortunately for Jasmine, the cells were not detected until they had created a large, ugly, cancerous tumor on her right fibula. Her own cells had gone rogue.

Jasmine complained that her leg hurt after Taekwondo one evening. Upon investigation, she admitted that her leg had been hurting for many days. An X-ray revealed a large tumor. Chemotherapy and surgery were the standard treatments that  hadn't changed for decades. But what if the therapy and surgery actually had cured cancer? Sure, Jasmine would lose her fibula as well as a year of school and time with friends, but the future would still be bright. Unfortunately for Jasmine, the chemotherapy and surgery were unable to eradicate the cancerous cells from her body. The cells had metastasized.

Having returned to school for the final months of 4th grade and all of 5th grade, Jasmine was looking forward to middle school. The results of a routine CT scan suggested a different path, however. Her lungs, filled with nourishing oxygen, were just the place for cancerous cells to hide. The scan revealed nodules in both lobes -- not a good sign to say the least. But what if we could trick our immune system into recognizing these cancerous cells? They wouldn't stand a chance! Unfortunately for Jasmine, these treatments are not available yet and the only choice was to remove the nodules and 'wait and see'.

Wait we did, and see we did. Tumors appeared in her right shoulder, left knee and ring finger as well as deep in her chest. The top-of-the-line methods of chemotherapy and surgery left Jasmine without her finger, right arm, and hair. But what if those treatments were finally able to rid her body of cancer? Sure, she'd be missing a finger and an arm, but she'd still be able to enjoy life and partake in more of life's milestones. Unfortunately for Jasmine, cancer was already clouding her lungs, and the only milestone she passed was becoming a teenager. We recently celebrated Jasmine's 19th birthday and watched as all her classmates went to college. But my memories of Jasmine end nine days after her 13th birthday in 2017.

I'm shaving my head with other St. Baldrick's participants to raise money for pediatric cancer research so that we can protect our children from travesties like this. St. Baldrick's is the largest non-government funder of childhood research grants globally (second only to the US government).  We've made considerable progress on treating cancer in general, but cancer is still the leading cause of death for children after accidents.

To encourage your participation, I am making additional pledges this year. Upon reaching USD $20K in donations before the event on March 1st, I'll shave my beard. And with USD $25K in donations before the event, I will bid farewell to my eyebrows as well! Yes, with the dosage of chemotherapy Jasmine received, she lost her eyebrows too. For Jasmine, and all the other children robbed of their innocence by cancer, let's change the future together.

My Roles:

  • Shavee
  • Team Captain

Your Roles

Barber Details

Nick Psaris has joined the ranks of:

Knight of the Bald Table

Be it known to all that this participant has dedicated at least seven years of service to the St. Baldrick’s Foundation helping kids with cancer throughout all the land.

St. Baldrick’s Honored Kids

Kids with cancer are our reason for it all. They’re the inspiration behind our event and the reason we’re helping fund childhood cancer research. We believe all kids should be able to grow up and turn their dreams into realities. Join our event or make a donation, and click the photos below to read their incredible stories.

Recent Donors

View All
  1. Mr.and Mrs. Richard Chang In Memory of Jasmine Psaris 6/11/2024
  2. Bank of America-MG Program 5/23/2024
  3. Bank of America-MG Program 5/23/2024
  4. Bank of America-MG Program 4/25/2024
  5. Bank of America-MG Program 4/25/2024

Celebrating 25 Years

St. Baldrick’s started as a grassroots effort 25 years ago, driven by people who believe in helping kids with cancer.

Change your photo

Photo submission policy

Please read the photo submission policy and accept below.

By submitting a photograph of yourself on www.StBaldricks.org, you agree to the following terms and conditions for submission of your photograph:

We strongly encourage all users to submit a before and after photo, so that donors and fellow participants can easily recognize and relate to one another.

Any photo containing cartoons, comics, celebrities, nudity, pornography, sexually explicit images or any copyrighted image (unless you own the copyright) is not permitted. This is because photos of celebrities and cartoon or comic images are generally copyrighted by the owner.

Uploading images of other people without their permission is also prohibited.

This photo submission policy applies to StBaldricks.org users. The St. Baldrick’s Foundation reserves the right to review all photos and to remove any photo for any reason at our sole discretion. If you see a photo on StBaldricks.org that you believe does not conform to this policy, email to WebQuestions@StBaldricks.org