As many of you have heard, either from me or through word of mouth, I will be shaving my head in March for St. Baldrick’s charity to raise money for childhood cancer research. Those of you I have talked to about it have all asked me why. My answer usually consisted of “it’s for a good cause” or “it’s for my little cousin”, but I have to admit I have been doing some major soul searching, and through that I have discovered the real reason that this is so important to me. Yes, of course it is a great cause, and of course I would do anything for my little cousin, but there is something, an event that I have recently remembered, that has pushed me even further into my excitement at doing this crazy thing. When Joe, and I were planning our wedding we had decided that my little cousins (Genna and Zoe) would be our flower girls. Some months later in January we found out that little Zoe (only 2 at the time) was diagnosed with leukemia. It hit our family hard, but being the strong family that we are, we banded together, and supported one another through this scary , and emotional time. One night at my Uncles house, Zoe and I were alone in the living room. She was beaming with excitement at my up and coming wedding, talking about how excited she was to be our flower girl, and how she would look like a pretty pretty princess. There was not worry on her face just pure excitement. I told her how beautiful she, and her sister would look, and how I to was very excited as well! Suddenly her face saddened, and I could tell that something troubled her. I asked her what was wrong, and if she was feeling ok. She turned to me and said. “C.C. (my family nickname) can I still be your flower girl if I have no hair?” I have to admit it was like a kick to the stomach that this amazing, and gorgeous little girl thought that if she was bald she could not be in my wedding. I turned to her hiding my tears and said “or course you can be in the wedding.” She then said that she couldn’t be a pretty princess if she had no hair. I spent the next 10 mins. telling her just how wonderful, and beautiful she was weather she had hair or not. On September 26, 2009 with the permission of her doctor little Zoe and her sister walked hand in hand down the aisle as our flower girls, and I have to tell you that she really did look like a pretty pretty princess. I think that memory of her has always stuck with me. And on March 13th I can finally show her in the best way I know how, that we are all beautiful with or without hair.