Why am I shaving my head, and why should you care?
I am keeping my head shaved year round in memory of my best friend, Amber, who passed away from leukemia 26 years ago. I still miss her as if it happened yesterday.
Amber ♡11/5/83-4/7/99♡
I never really thought about how devastating it is for cancer patients to lose their hair, until I had my head shaved due to brain surgery from a hemorrhagic stroke.
I came out of surgery and found they had to shave half my head. It was overwhelming. It sounds stupid, because the surgery was life saving and the hair should have been the LEAST of my worries, but it was horrible.
When I was able, Duke had a stylist shave the other half of my head. Awake, as he shaved, I sobbed and I began to think of my bestie and how hard losing her beautiful hair must have been and how brave she was to never show how tough that was.
Brian shaved that day in the hospital too.
My plan had been to make re-growing it work, but Brian’s stories of how he was able to share my story when people asked about his shaved head made me
realize that I could keep my head shaved, not only for convenience (keeping hair maintained one handed is horrible), but to also to bring awareness to childhood medical issues!
Childhood cancer TAKES MORE LIVES than ANY OTHER DISEASE, and shaving to raise money for St. Baldrick's aids in funding vital cancer research. PLUS, 1 in 100 children are born with congenital heart defects (like mine, which led to my stroke) and the need to for Adult CHD research is also immense(I am a "first generation" Adult CHDer)...SO NOW my bald head is a tool. I can use it to:
1) raise money and awareness for St. Baldrick's and their research into childhood cancers!
AND
2) tell people about my CHD & stroke and bring awareness to the need for Adult Congenital Heart Defect research!
My shaved head also serves as a constant reminder to me to say a prayer for ALL children warriors, known as "patients".
It is my prayer that St. Baldrick's and other researchers can one day cure all childhood illnesses.
Whether you feel led to donate or not, please join me in praying for all the children fighting for their lives, their doctors and the medical researchers.
♡Ellie
Thank you for your support!