Guess what: I am shaving my head on March 14th to raise money for childhood cancer research! As a midwife, I have been blessed to witness the births of hundreds of healthy babies… the promise of each little life is fresh and full each time. As a mother with two healthy kids in their 20’s I feel blessed again. As a partner to someone with 2 grown children in treatment for cancer, I struggle to accept the truth that not everyone is so fortunate… not every promise of a bright future is fulfilled. The tragedy of this illness now hits closer to home. Childhood cancer is widespread, mostly invisible and way underfunded. By the time they turn 20, 1 in 300 boys and I in 333 girls will have cancer. All types of childhood cancers combined receive only 4% of US federal funding for cancer research, and the pharmaceutical companies – the largest contributors to funding for adult cancer research – give virtually nothing. St Baldricks Foundation is making a huge difference, funding over $127 million dollars in research grants since 2005. It started with three people looking to give back in return for their own good fortune in business. They decided to shave their heads for donations to raise funds for kids with cancer. Such a cool and radical idea! It’s grown now to more than 20,000 shavees raising over $30K per year. I will be one of 200 people shaving their heads at Fado’s Pub in Denver this year. Head shaving expresses solidarity, sharing the experience of losing one’s hair and walking around in the world with a kind of vulnerability and strangeness. Even though this is a choice for me and I won’t be losing my hair to chemo, I look forward to having some inkling of what that might be like. I’m also excited to find out what my head looks like and what is truly the color of my hair. Make a donation and I’ll be sure to send you the after photos! Please take a look at the St Baldrick’s website. Inform yourself and give generously!