Rayley Rose Kocurek (ATRT brain tumor): 

May 23, 2006-June 9, 2007

I am shaving my head for the 11th* time for the St. Baldrick's Foundation. As an original member of the 46 Mommas Shave for the Brave team in Los Angeles, 2010 was the start of my shaving journey. Since then, I have shaved with the team in Washington D.C., San Antonio, Boston, Kansas City, Las Vegas, and Austin. The pandemic has curbed most social events in the last 18+ months. This year I will simply shave my head at home.

 Why do I shave my head? It might seem extreme. Losing my daughter was extreme. In August of 2006, my 3 month old daughter was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. After 8 months of treatment, we were told that there was nothing else we could do. My daughter died on June 9, 2007, just 2 weeks after her 1st birthday. THAT is extreme.

I have chosen to repeatedly raise money for St. Baldrick's because donations go directly to funding pediatric cancer research. Pediatric cancers are different than adult cancers. Children react differently than adults to treatment. For the children who survive, they face life-long complications from the very treatment that saved them. Cancer kills 7 children each and every day. Cancer took my daughter from me - I don't want that to be the outcome for the 46 families who today will hear "your child has cancer". Please donate to this great and trustworthy foundation. Research is expensive. Help the doctors and scientists who care about saving children.