In 2005, I received a press release from Robyn Raphael with the Keaton Raphael Memorial (now Keaton's Child Cancer Alliance (childcancer.org)) with the subject line, "Be Brave & Go Bald" For Local Kids Fighting Cancer"...I was really moved when I read it: about how her 5-year-old son Keaton had been diagnosed with Neuroblastoma (cancer of the nervous system) in 1997 and bravely fought for 9-months before succumbing to the disease. I asked my husband Terry, "How would you feel if I shaved my head to support St. Baldrick's?" He immediately started pulling up photos of bald celebrities and said, "You'll be so much hotter than any of these women!" So the journey began. Little did I know that I'd do this every five years from then on: 2005, 2010, 2015, 2020 (which turned in to 2022 because of Covid) and now for the fifth and final time, in 2025.
In 2022, my friend Debra passed away due to complications from melanoma. It was a devastating loss -- she was too young, and I miss her every day. Her death made me think about her legacy: her three kids and her two beautiful grandsons. It also made me think about my own mortality and what my legacy would be. While I don't have children from my own body, I have amazing bonus kids, bonus kids-in-law, and bonus grandkids, along with nieces and nephews, all whom I adore. But the thought occurred to me: No one would live because I lived. Sounds a little macabre and perhaps a little of a Debbie Downer, but it made me think that I didn't have a legacy. More on this in a sec...
As the calendar rolled from 2024 to 2025, I started to think about another head shave, and to be honest, I was really going back and forth if I had another head shave in me -- while it's incredibly liberating, it can also be a little emotionally exhausting. But, in late February, we were watching "Full Swing" on Netflix -- in the final episode of the third season, the story touched on Mia Villegas, the daughter of professional golfer Camilo Villegas and his wife Maria Ochoa. When Mia was just 17 months old, she was diagnosed with brain and spine cancer, and lost her cancer battle 5 months later. Camilo and Maria created Mia's Miracles (mias-miracles.org) to celebrate her life and honor her legacy. I had been looking for a "sign" to do the head shave one more time, and this was the sign. I needed to do this for kids like Mia.
Maybe your legacy is the family you build or help to build. But maybe your legacy can also be the people that you touch and help in life. I've always said, I will not cure cancer, but maybe by doing this, I can help find the one who will. And hopefully, someone will live because of the money I raised to help the effort to find and fund a cure for children's cancer. Maybe that's what my legacy is supposed to be.
I can think of no better way to celebrate my 55th birthday than to shave my head one last time!
Over the past 20 years, I'm honored and humbled to have raised $20,880 for children's cancer research through St. Baldrick's:
2005 - $5,360
2010 - $5,955
2015 - $4,390
2020 which became 2022 - $5,175
I'd love for 2025 to blow all of the other years out of the water! P.S. you can see photos from every shave in the photo gallery below, just be sure to click on "View All." What a fun time capsule that is!
If you're able to donate, fantastic -- I'd love this final head shave to be the biggest $$ fundraiser by me yet! But, if you're not able to donate, that's absolutely ok -- I'd love your cheerleading from the sidelines! Sending much love and grace!
Thank you thank you thank you!
-Wendy
