“Your child has cancer.” The statement changes a family’s life. It means time spent in a hospital instead of in school, surgeries and harsh chemicals pumped into their bodies for treatment, and often hair loss during chemotherapy. However, through the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, friends and family of children with cancer have the opportunity to go bald in a show of solidarity while also raising money to support life-saving childhood cancer research.
The St. Baldrick’s Foundation is a volunteer-driven charity committed to funding the most promising research to find cures for childhood cancers and give survivors long and healthy lives. The foundation’s signature head-shaving events worldwide attract thousands of volunteers willing to lose their locks in the name of childhood cancer research. So far in 2014, more than 11,000 volunteers, including more than 2,400 females, have registered to shave their heads at more than 750 events.
Two head-shaving events are coming to Richland County in March: on March 17 starting at 5 p.m. at Legend’s Sports Grill & Pub in Shelby, and on March 22 from noon to 5 p.m. at The Old Bag of Nails in Mansfield. Richland County residents young and old, head-shaving veterans and first-timers, have been working hard to raise money for St. Baldrick’s and are preparing to embrace the mantra, “bald is beautiful.”
When Thomas Wills first decided to shave his head for St. Baldrick’s six years ago, he did it completely on a whim. That first year, he had no motivation to go bald other than his wish to raise a thousand dollars for the cause, promising his friends and family to keep his head blade-shaved all the way until Memorial Day if he reached his goal.
“I did feel nervous (the first year) because it was like, why am I doing this,” Wills remembered. “I don’t really drink and I’m going into this bar with a bunch of strangers doing something I’m not really sure I want to do and I’m feeling out of place.”
Wills turned out to be the top fundraiser his first year participating, and received a personal thank-you for his efforts that completely changed his perspective.
“One of the event organizers came up to me and said they just wanted to say thank you since they had lost a child to cancer,” said Wills. “Up until that point I didn’t know why I was doing it, but that personal thank-you gave it a whole new level. And that’s why I’ve done it every year since.”
That organizer was Pam Alt, who lost her three-year-old son Brandon Alt to cancer in 2001. Eight years ago, Alt started the St. Baldrick’s head-shaving event in Shelby with the help of Judy Caporini, and that’s when her friend Fred Beeching first started shaving his head in memory of Brandon.
“All the stories as far as kids with childhood cancer, some passing away, it all just tears me up,” said Beeching. “So I’d like to help try and find a cure.”
Beeching participates in the St. Baldrick’s head-shaving event as part of “Team B-Man” in honor of Brandon, and as of March 16 the team has raised $2,180 for the foundation. Beeching himself has raised $1,460 of the total amount, but still remains only the second top fundraiser for the head-shaving event at Legend’s.
The top spot belongs to 13-year-old Katie Guisinger, who has raised a total of $4,155 in funds for St. Baldrick’s. The amount has impressed all her friends and family, especially the girls on her softball team.
“They asked me how much money I’d raised and when I told them the one girl said, ‘holy nuggets,’” said Guisinger.
This will be the second year for Guisinger shaving her head at St. Baldrick’s; last year, she raised $3,160 for the cause. Guisinger said she does it in memory of her grandpa, who passed away in 2009, and in honor of her friend Carlie Henkel, who was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2011.
“I just feel it’s an easy way to raise money, so I don’t get why you wouldn’t do it every year,” she said.
Guisinger said she was excited to have her head shaved again this year, since being bald means less time getting ready in the morning. She advised any girls who are shaving their heads to accessorize with colorful headbands and earrings, since many people assumed she was a boy for a long time after going bald.
“I remember one time at the store, little kids would stare and stuff, and there was a girl that must have been a little bit older than me who kept staring at me,” Guisinger remembered. “So I turned around and waved at her. And my sister said, ‘yep, she’s a girl.’”
It’s good advice for 28-year-old Erica Bauer, who will be shaving her head for the first time this year at The Old Bag of Nails. Bauer said she was already planning on shaving her head for her mother, who was diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer in December.
“I decided then that when she started chemotherapy and started to lose her hair, I would shave my head in solidarity of her battle,” said Bauer. “Then last month, I found out one of my previous pre-K students, who is now 10, decided she would shave her head at the St. Baldrick’s event this month. She is the one who inspired me to help raise money for children’s cancer research. I figured if I was already going to shave my head, I might as well raise as much money and awareness at the same time.”
Bauer created the team “Sherry’s Supporters” for the head-shaving event at The Old Bag of Nails, and so far the team has raised $4,426 – far past their initial goal of $1,212, in honor of her mother’s diagnoses on December 12.
“This experience has been very humbling, I am so grateful for all of the support our team has been given,” said Bauer.
Just as a 10-year-old student is the inspiration for Bauer’s efforts for St. Baldrick’s, a kindergartner was the inspiration for 63-year-old Melody Hensel to start shaving her head seven years ago. Hensel said the kindergartner shaved his head for St. Baldrick’s in memory of a family friend who lost her son to cancer – Pam Alt.
“It was a way to spread community awareness so (the student’s aunt) could help her friend (Pam) with the grieving process,” said Hensel. “As small communities do, we rallied around, and that’s why he did it. And I’m thinking, how much depth for a five-year-old? I’ve been following the lead of a child ever since.”
Hensel works as a librarian in Lexington Central, and has used hear head-shaving experiences to open a dialogue for her students to talk about cancer.
“They’ve all seen throughout the years different kids coming in and out of school that have had cancer,” said Hensel. “They’re used to that now, it doesn’t frighten them anymore. It’s taken a lot of the boogeyman away from cancer, it’s bringing it out of the closet and talking about it, and it’s making it less scary.”
Since she started shaving her head for St. Baldrick’s seven years ago, Hensel has inspired her husband of 38 years to shave his head right beside her. She said being bald does not bother her at all.
“I suppose if I had hair like Farrah Fawcett that would be different, but I’m an old lady with short gray hair so it doesn’t bother me at all,” she said with a laugh.
By March 16 in Richland County between the two events, $27,491 has been raised for St. Baldrick’s, with $13,041 coming from Old Bag of Nails and $14,450 coming from Legend’s. Of everything the participants have given to the foundation, the thing they are most willing to give freely is their hair.
“It’s liberating for me, but I see it as a choice,” said Hensel. “I have the freedom to choose to have my hair taken away, whereas the people that have cancer don’t have that choice. It’s totally different for me; that choice makes the difference, and it’s something very easy for me to give.”
“If I get a bad haircut, then I will just do my best to raise money next year.” said Bauer.
Beeching acknowledged the head-shaving process would probably be harder on women, as his short hair grows back quickly. Wills advised it’s best to keep a positive attitude about being bald.
“There are certain people that can pull it off because they’ve got an outgoing personality and a great smile,” said Wills. “The girls that can pull it off are the ones that have a level of confidence about it and a great smile, and as long as they can keep a good attitude about it.”
And for 13-year-old Guisinger, the logic is very simple.
“People with cancer need money more than I need hair,” she said.
“One of the event organizers came up to me and said they just wanted to say thank you since they had lost a child to cancer,” said Thomas Wills. “Up until that point I didn’t know why I was doing it, but that personal thank-you gave it a whole new level.”
