I woke up this morning ready to go - excited at the prospect of losing my hair for a great cause. I wasn't nervous - in fact I was too busy to be nervous. Gathering the children, bathing the children, dressing the children, feeding the children....then it was get mom ready and head downtown for the St. Baldricks "shaving event." I wasn't nervous until...well, I walked in and that is when it hit me! That is when I truly came to terms with what I was doing. Wow. Words can't even begin to express the emotions I felt today.
I gathered on stage with fellow coworkers and listened as all the barbers turned on the razors. And then, it started. First, the sides, then the back, then underneath, and finally the top. And then it was done. The tattooed, multiple piercing man handed me over my ponytail. Both in shock and in awe, I sat for a moment wondering "what the heck did I just do." Then...I glanced down into the audience and saw a few of the "regular" kids from the hospital - who sat their watching (them too with their bald heads) and I was immediately reminded of what I got myself into. It was all for them. Those who are diagnosed, those who have lost the battle, and unfortunately those who have yet to be diagnosed. The statistics are astonishing and appalling. Nobody should be handed this kind of diagnosis - let alone a child. The word cancer should never appear in a child's vocabulary, but unfortunately it does. Today, we hoped to change that.
As a group, we raised well over $50,000. I am so proud of this town and all that contributed to this effort. The outpouring was amazing. Thank you, thank you to all the support both emotionally and financially. May we continue to keep the ball rolling, letting the enthusiasm and momentum build, not fall. May we continue to be passionate and on fire for a cause that is so devastating rather than let it be forgotten now that the "event" is over. What a day! It was both exhilarating and heart wrenching all at the same time.
Enjoy the photos, I hope to have more in the upcoming days. Dave did a fabulous job of capturing the video, he just forgot about the camera in his pocket. Or perhaps he was too busy with the crying 3 year old screaming, "I want my mommy's hair back, where is my mommy's pony?" There have been some interesting conversations around our house this evening to say the least.
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