Alphabet Soup: A Mental Health & Medicine Podcast

Ep. 35 Taking "Bald" Strokes for Cancer Research

March 22, 2022 Neva Hidajat Season 2 Episode 5
Alphabet Soup: A Mental Health & Medicine Podcast
Ep. 35 Taking "Bald" Strokes for Cancer Research
Show Notes Transcript

The pandemic has changed many people's lives, for cancer research, it has brought a $200 million dollar decrease in donations... In an effort to combat this, on March 19th 2022, 75 people in Norfolk, VA go bald to fund childhood cancer research and clinical trials.  Through events like these, people are proving that a bad situation can bring us closer together for greater cause. You can help too.

By sharing this episode you can join the cause to spread awareness! 

Visit https://www.stbaldricks.org/ for more stories and info. 

Hey! Welcome to the fifth episode of season two of Alphabet Soup. This season we talk about cancer. Today’s episode is about how on March 19th, 75 people in Norfolk, Virginia got haircuts that will save kid’s lives. 

Each year, approximately 400,000 kids are diagnosed with cancer. Just to put things in perspective, since the pandemic, donations to support childhood cancer research and clinical trials is down significantly. The American Cancer Society reports that amid the pandemic funds were down $200 million dollars at the end of 2020. The pandemic was a loss for everyone, and this is clearly reflected in the low number of donations for cancer research. Meanwhile, the pandemic didn’t change the fact that kids are still getting cancer every day. Pushing forward and working to raise money for cancer is something that we shouldn’t neglect if we are able to contribute. 

That’s what people at the 19th annual St. Baldrick’s head shaving event at the O’Connor Brewery did last Saturday. The St. Baldrick’s foundation, founded by Tim Kenny, John Bender, and Enda McDonnel in 1999, is the largest private charity organization for childhood cancer. Through head-shaving events across the nation, the foundation was able to raise over 9.6 million dollars for the cause in 2021 alone. So how do St. Baldrick events work? People come together and make donations to watch their friends, family, and colleagues “Brave the Shave”. The money from donations then goes towards grants that will be put towards funding cancer research. At the event on Saturday, 75 went bald, and 144 participated in raising $105, 541. Where does the money go? Through an infrastructure research grant, kids at the Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters in Norfolk, Virginia will have more access to clinical trials. In an interview, Dr. Eric Loewe from the hospital commented, “Clinical trials are what has really driven the cure rate from essentially 0 or close to it, back in the 1960s, to approximately 80%.” He went on to explain that clinical trials give researchers the opportunity not only to help kids but also to assess the side effects of different trials and take them into consideration for the next trial. Therefore, with every trial, they are advancing treatment and bettering these kid’s lives. 

The event is a testament to how battling through hard times like the pandemic for a greater cause can have a significant impact on others. By helping others, maybe we will be able to find more purpose in our own lives. Life isn’t always going to be easy. For my fellow high school juniors who may be facing stress with college applications coming up, remember that kids our age are battling cancer. Really for anyone going through a hard time, I hope you can push through your hard times and come out a stronger person. Of course, this is not meant to diminish your worries but rather to help you gain some perspective.

You know actually, during the St. Baldrick foundation’s early years, it was struck with the loss of hundreds of friends and colleagues because of 9/11. However, the founders decided to continue fighting with purpose for the kids who needed them. And today, St. Baldrick’s has made more than $314 million dollars in research grant funding possible. 

What a heartwarming story. In the episode description I’ve provided the link to St. Baldrick’s website if you would like to find out more about how you can contribute or maybe even become a shavee! I gotta say, it sure would be great to see some more St. Baldrick events in Southern California. Maybe there’s something we can do about that…

 

Well, I hope you were inspired by today’s episode! Be back with another episode next week! In the meantime, check out my interview with Becky Dolman in Episode 32 to hear more about the bold strokes we’re making to advance treatment for childhood cancer. Thanks for listening!

 

Resources: 

https://www.13newsnow.com/article/life/heartwarming/organization-childhood-cancer-research-head-shaving-fundraiser/291-747a165b-01cf-4b63-a48f-e8ab9e3ba5a3

https://www.stbaldricks.org/

https://www.abc10.com/article/entertainment/television/programs/morning-blend/cancer-research-sees-decline-in-funds-amid-pandemic/103-844063db-c85a-4073-a716-8afa0c0a600a