Hair not there after fundraiser to fight cancer

Videography by S K Vemmer

It was emotional, exciting and all for a good cause.

Roommates Andrea Heath and Carly Harte traveled from Wisconsin to shave their heads at the annual St. Baldrick’s Foundation event Thursday at Children’s Hospital University of Illinois.

“I sort of fell in love with the charity. It’s super wonderful and a really, really good cause,” Harte said.

Each year, volunteers organize thousands of head-shaving events across the country, raising money to cure childhood cancer.

The St. Baldrick’s Foundation funds the Children’s Oncology Group, a national clinical trials group of more than 200 leading children’s hospitals, universities and cancer centers, to find cures and better treatments for childhood cancers.

The UIC/Rush/Stroger Children’s Oncology Group, part of the national program, allows patients from all three hospitals to benefit from the knowledge and experience of the largest pediatric clinical trials group in the world.

Since 2006, St. Baldrick’s has given $1.8 million to UIC to fund the three-hospital consortium and support basic science research.

The partnership with the St. Baldrick’s Foundation has been tremendous, said Mary Lou Schmidt, chief of pediatric hematology-oncology.

“I’m not doing this for myself, I’m doing this for the kids,” said Justice Abad, who gave up a ponytail.

“This is the least I could do for them.”

UIC’s Omega Delta Fraternity is sponsoring a St. Baldrick’s head-shaving event at 4 p.m. March 14 at the Stukel Towers Events Center .

To sign up, email team captain Myles O’Hara at mohara5@ uic.edu or donate online.