Dozens of medical professionals, students, firemen and barbers joined together July 29 at Loma Linda University Health to “brave the shave” as they raised awareness and funds to combat childhood cancer.
Over the course of the afternoon, an enthusiastic crowd cheered as 19 people had their heads shaved.
The event brought together people from throughout the community. As music played, Loma Linda University students could be heard convincing favorite professors to join in, and over a dozen members of the Loma Linda Fire Department cheered on for support as several of their colleagues had their hair removed by volunteers from Wilson’s Classic Barber Shop in Redlands.
Between shavings, researchers and treatment specialists from Loma Linda University’s pediatric oncology programs spoke of their experiences.
For many, the highlight of the event came when 4-year-old Luke Crecelius took the stage to shave his father’s head. Luke has been cancer-free for 20 months after receiving treatment for leukemia in 2013. He grinned broadly as barber Garay Jones helped him guide the clippers across his father’s head.
“I’m doing this for my son,” Kyle Crecelius, a member of the Loma Linda Fire Department, explained. “It is because of programs like this that Luke is here with us today. This research saves children’s lives, and it’s so important that we continue to support it.”
The event was sponsored by the LLU School of Medicine basic sciences student council on behalf of St. Baldrick’s Foundation, the largest non-government funder of such research.
Kimberly Payne, PhD, director of translational research, basic sciences department at Loma Linda University School of Medicine, expressed her appreciation to the participants.
“It wasn’t that long ago that children like this would have had very few options when faced with these diseases,” she said. “But thanks to the efforts of researchers supported by organizations like St. Baldrick’s, that is changing. We now have treatment for diagnoses that would have been hopeless just a few years ago, and it’s so important that we continue this progress.”
“So far, we have raised nearly $2,000 from over 70 donors,” said Jon Payne, a medical student at LLU and lead organizer of the event. “We’re hoping to raise even more than that as contributions continue to come in by phone and on the website over the next week.”
Donors may contribute to this effort by visiting the event’s website at stbaldricks.org/events/LomaLindaUniversity2015 or by calling 888-899-2253. St. Baldrick’s Foundation is a registered non-profit organization, and donations are tax-deductible.