Guest blog: Kids Cancer Care
What's up YYC! Tonight we have another fantastic guest blog written by Megan from Kids Cancer Care. The story of how you can change the world with a haircut is tremendously powerful and if you're a sap like me, it will bring tears to your eyes.
Please read, support and enjoy!
You can change the world with a haircut.
There is nothing like standing in a gymnasium full of Calgary’s youth, with their infectious energy, watching them cheer on their fellow students as they stand up in front of their peers to get a haircut. Yep, a haircut. Oh, but it’s so much more than a haircut. These kids are participating in Shave Your Lid for a Kid® for the organization I work for, Kids Cancer Care.
This type of haircut can provide strength to a child who needs it the most. I was standing in a gymnasium in Spring 2015, watching a bunch of kids get their hair cut at an elementary school, when a teacher approached me. There was a little boy who was going to start school in the fall. The administrative staff had invited him to watch the shave event to show him he was not alone. This little boy had been facing the biggest battle of his life and he hadn’t even started elementary school. He had recently had cancer.
Kids with cancer are faced with a reality that is extremely isolating during cancer treatment. Just spending time with friends, while their immune system in compromised, could be deadly. Can you imagine? And then on top of all that, their physical appearance changes.
Our fundraisers, “Shavees” as we affectionately call them, make the choice to lose their locks to stand proud with kids who don’t have the choice of losing their hair during cancer treatments. It is a bold statement in the fight against childhood cancer. And on top of that, our Shavees raise funds that go towards our programs that are uniquely designed to meet the needs of the whole family at each stage of the cancer journey, from diagnosis through treatment and beyond.
As the teacher explained the little boy’s story, I thought maybe she wanted me to introduce myself to the little boy’s mother and educate her about our programs. She told me he had been sitting with his mom watching the students shave their heads, showing him he was not alone, and that this school was a safe and welcoming place for him. And he was inspired. He wanted to shave his head that day, for the first time since he had lost it all during treatment.
I can imagine being that little boy, unsure of what to expect when starting school, and feeling the warmth of his peers. A haircut changed that little boy’s world that day.
You can change the world for local kids affected by cancer by signing up to Shave Your Lid for a Kid®. You don’t have to be a school – local corporate groups, sports teams, and individuals are part of the #BaldIsBeautiful movement. It is amazing to be a part of such a strong community who cares.
I heard at that school’s shave in 2016, that little boy shaved his head again. This time, as a student and a fundraiser.
Be brave and shave – sign up here!
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