Hey Everybody! My name is John and I'd like to first thank you for taking the time to read this! On April 17th, I (along with a lot of amazing people here at GUSOM) will be shaving my head in an effort to raise money and awareness for childhood cancer research. Now I know what you're thinking, "John, I hear about cancer all the time on the news and get tons of Facebook invites to cancer walks and such. What makes this event so special?". Well interestingly enough, despite all of the attention that cancer gets, funding for childhood cancer research is alarmingly low compared to that of adults. Yeah, that shocked me too when I first heard it. My individual goal is to raise $250 for my team, but I need your help to do it.  So why am I doing this? Well simply, its because I believe that every child has the right to be a kid, and that cancer (or any disease for that matter) should not get in the way of that. Current cancer treatments for kids often have harmful side effects that result in more frequent (and extended) hospital visits, taking away both the opportunity and the ability to engage in normal childhood activities. But at the same time, kids are natural-born fighters and have a remarkable capacity for healing when the treatment is right. I'm shaving my head this month to not only help fund research into new treatments, but also to pay tribute to the incredible kids who continue to fight and to the memory of those who have passed. Plus this is a great opportunity for me to embrace my inner George Costanza, which is always a plus haha. 

Any donation that you can make (no matter the amount) can go a long way to help fund research. But to sweeten the deal, if you help me exceed my goal of $250 I will attend my classes the following Monday (April 20th) as a member of the Blue Man Group (Georgetown peeps, I know you wanna see that in NRB). But in all seriousness, this is a great opportunity to help kids with cancer fight their disease and have the childhood they deserve. 

Also, if you haven't already please read the story about Keeghan below. He was an amazing little guy, and I will be honoring him at this event.