Hello everyone, my name is David Akerele. I am a physician in my last year of pediatric training at rush medical center in Chicago. I am interested in Infectious disease but pediatric hematology and oncology patients are very near and dear to my heart and that is why I am getting involved with St. Baldrick's. This organization raises funds for pediatric cancer research by providing grant money to fund ground breaking, innovative research to help improve the treatment of pediatric cancer and increase are success rates. This is my second year doing this charity event and I am very excited to help support this wonderful cause. As you know childhood cancer is an extremely challenging disease that affects numerous children worldwide. In the United States, over 10,000 new cases of childhood cancers were diagnosed. Treatment success rates have improved from 58% in the 70's to 80% in the late 90's and are now around 90%.These cancers included Leukemia's, Lymphoma's, and solid tumors. Our brave patients have to endure surgical procedures that can involve multiple procedures, intensive care management, and careful pain management. In addition to this they have to endure multiple courses of chemotherapy that requires them to have limited social interaction with their family and friends, interrupt their education, and spend a significant amount of time on the pediatric wards receiving therapy. If this was not bad enough, our patients have to endure multiple side effects from their chemotherapy. Their immune system becomes suppressed making them volunerable to multiple fungal, viral and bacterial infections. They endure a significant amount of pain from line placements, procedures, surgical resections, and other necessary management, requiring a significant amount pain medications. As chemo therapy targets rapidly dividing cancer cells, they go on to develop alopecia as their treatment progress. The loss of their hair can be emotionally challenging for many of our young patients and our clinical team of pediatric physicians, oncologists, psychologists, nurses, and child life specialists help aid them through this period in their life. However despite our best efforts this is still a very difficult period in their life, full of peaks and valleys, successes and disappointment. I am participating with this charity, by shaving my head in solidarity with our cancer patients. As a shavee, the patient in our program will have the opportunity to shave my head on a live broadcast on February 24 2011. I will be forwarding this link in hopes that my friends and family will donate money to this worthy cause and continue to support cancer research that will give hope and life to all children affected by this terrible disease. Thank you very much for your support. David Akerele, MD Rush Medical Center