I hope you are all excited about this year's St. Baldrick's head shaving event; we sure are. Thanks to all of you, last year, we (The Naked Noggins) blew the roof off of our goal of $20,000 and raised $42,612. This year, we hope to honor the memory of the oldest member of our team, Larry Pierce, who passed away in August, by raising $50,000 for children's cancer research. Larry was 91 years young when he shaved at the 2013 event. (See below on how you can join the team.)
Most importantly, this year we are honoring Mik’hail Mustafa who attended the 2013 event with his mother who was supporting the Naked Noggins. He was diagnosed with Stage 4 Neuroblastoma in May of 2013 at only 10 months old; he is now 18 months. He had 8 rounds of chemo and a surgery to remove the tumor in his abdomen. He is cancer free now. He has had an amazing response to treatment, an amazing recovery and is up to speed with all his milestones. The doctor feels that although nothing in life is guaranteed, based on Mik’hail’s fast response and what he has seen, he feels this is a cure. Now, he goes back to the doctor every 3 months for scans.
And we continue to honor Jersey Barfels , the cousin of our youngest shavee, Ian, who awoke the night of November 1, 2011 with stomach pain. Her mother took her to the emergency room, where a urine sample contained blood, a symptom of Wilms' tumor. The next day, tests confirmed the tumor and Stage IV cancer was also found in Jersey's lungs. On November 4, 2011, doctors removed her cancerous right kidney. Two weeks later she took her first round of chemotherapy - a 25 week regiment - to eradicate the disease. Through it all, Jersey remained strong. She had her down moments, but most of the time she had a smile on her face. She knew that she would lose her long blonde hair, and instead of being down about it, she was excited to wear various wigs of different lengths and colors. On July 19th, 2012, Jersey had her port removed and her cancer is in remission. She will continue regular checkups and after 5 years she will be deemed cancer free.
To join the Naked Noggins as a shavee or a volunteer, please click on the Naked Noggins (Larry’s Team) link above and then click on Join This Team.
Thank you so much for your continued support in this worthy cause!