I'm Jade Utterback and I'm currently sixteen years old. I don't pay bills, go to work, do my own laundry, or even pack my own lunch (my mother is a Godsend). I can’t enact a law that will change the world. I can’t find a cure for a virus. I can't drink. I can't vote. I can't even legally drive a car without a licensed driver sitting next to me. As a child, society has marked me insignificant for the time being, my only job to rack up as much knowledge as possible so that I can effectively contribute to my community in the future. I'm just a kid. And there’s a lot I can’t do. Every three minutes, a child is diagnosed with cancer. Another kid just like me who might never make it to high school, college, a school dance, a first kiss, a career, a family of their own. A lack of funds and the inability to make accurate diagnoses due to a shortage of proper resources only increases the chance of a child going uncured. We read these stories about them and they move us to tears and these children make us think about why we’re here; why we were given this life. They make people completely impartial to them THINK. Kids do that. They make an impact. They make a difference. Like I said, I’m just a kid with high ambitions and little responsibilities. There’s a lot I can’t do. But I can shave my head and donate money to help that kid that just got diagnosed in the three minutes it's taken you to read this excerpt to get cured. Together, we can ensure that many children, an incredible, life-changing amount, will make it to high school, college, a school dance, a first kiss, a career, a family of their own. That’s why I’m participating as a shavee: There’s a lot I can’t do. But shaving my head to help take a step forward in pediatric cancer research? Helping other kids that are just like me fight for the life they deserve? That I CAN do.

I am shaving in honor of a longtime friend, Isaac Conrad, who was recently diagnosed with ARMs cancer.