Cancer Research Sponsor: Fill & Download for Free

McDonald's, the official sponsors of the London Olympics. That's like saying Marlboro is the official sponsor of Cancer research.

I shaved it all off!My senior year in high school, my best friend and I (both quite daring girls) were wondering aloud how it might feel to have a shaved head. Then, we shared an epiphany:Why not find out for ourselves??If we were going to make such a big change, however, we wanted to make a difference in doing so. We found an organization called St. Baldrick’s Foundation.Via St. Baldrick’s, volunteers may establish local fundraisers in which they will encourage their community to “sponsor” them to shave their heads in solidarity with pediatric cancer patients.Volunteers set a particular fundraising goal and, if/when that goal is met, vow to shave their heads! The shaved hair may also be donated to make wigs for chemo patients.You can find more about their wonderful platform here: St. Baldrick's FoundationWhen we first shared this goal with our friends, they laughed and said we wouldn't follow through with it. That just made us more determined in our resolve!Ultimately, and even before our deadline, we ended up collecting several thousand donations from supporters. We easily surpassed our goals. So on the date the fundraiser closed…BZZZZZZZZZWe shaved our heads! It was an incredible experience, and so gratifying for our friends and family—who had all generously donated—to see the final result.Because I know you're curious, here is a photo of me mid-shave:Simply exhilarating!Perhaps the most exciting part of that day was that, with no prior planning, 11 additional friends decided to spontaneously shave and/or donate their hair in solidarity with cancer patients!(You can see the hair on the ground as evidence!)This was the best thing I ever did for my hair: to realize I don't need it. Of course hair is beautiful, but so many people don't have the luxury of having it.I like to hope that my fundraising and actions positively influenced pediatric cancer research. If anything, I know my community became more cognizant of pediatric cancer when they asked why there were 13 newly shaven people walking around.Beauty can be found in all forms. For me, rather than finding it in hair, I found it in a community filled with empathy and generosity.As my hair grew back in length, I grew as a person. I look back at this opportunity fondly and would do it again anytime so long as cancer is affecting those we love.(PS, here is a photo of my hair regrown, about 2 years later. Healthy and happy!)

I’m not really sure what those Americans say about the U.K. healthcare system. I read the report that Trump made about blood running down the corridors, which is just total nonsense.If it helps here are some pictures of my local NHS hospital.This is Southampton General HospitalThe Intensive Care UnitAll quite modern, and not really like a war zone.We also have a new Immunology centre, which is one of the leading centres on cancer research in the UKThe Princess Anne Hospital, featured on One Born Every Minute.And a sponsored kids’ ward with facilities to house visiting parents.The only thing missing from these pictures is the large amount of people using the facilities, which don’t usually look this empty.But no war zone medication, no lines of stab victims, and no death panels.There is a very complicated colour-coded chair system for patients in the eye ward that no one seems to understand, so perhaps the bone of contention.