Two years ago I shaved my head for the first time in honor of an amazing little hero who is now an angel. This year I am shaving in honor of and in memory of every hero I have had the honor to care for at Cardinal Glennon and for all those whose lives have been forever changed by cancer! For parents who have children diagnosed with cancer their lives change the moment they receive that diagnosis. While life before cancer was not perfect, it was filled with hope, dreams and laughter. As parents sit in that very first care conference all of those moments are swallowed up by fear of the unknown and the loss of innocence their lives held before this moment. Now their normal is googling diagnoses, calculating ANC's, and walking the halls at midnight with a crying child trying to console them unsure if it is pain or fear that keeps them awake. Children with cancer are often beleaguered by joint pain, nausea and mouth sores, yet they smile, laugh and even play despite their misery. They are heroes in every sense of the word. Despite every bad thing that cancer symbolizes to each of us, it also brings us together in a way that is profoundly life changing. These children and these families are more than just another commercial on T.V., they are your grandchildren, your sister, your nephew, your neighbor's son, the teenager that cuts your lawn, even, your newborn baby. I shave for each and every one of these amazing heroes and I hope someday all our joined efforts will find a cure. Thank you all for donating! I'm shaving my head to raise money for childhood cancer research! Did you know that kids' cancers are different from adult cancers? It's true. And childhood cancer research is extremely underfunded. So I decided to do something about it by raising money for cures. Now I need your help! Will you make a donation? Every dollar makes a difference for the thousands of infants, children, teens, and young adults fighting childhood cancers.