Riding for Roses

Donate to see Rob bald again

I had to take Spencer into the oncologist on Friday to get a complete blood count (great) and liver function test. His liver enzymes have been rather on the high side (approximating those of a chronic alcoholic with hepatitis) so we’re checking them weekly. We’ve skipped a little oral chemotherapy, but he had a bone marrow aspiration and central nervous chemotherapy on January 27, per the original schedule. While I was innocently filling out paperwork, Spencer’s nurse Jennifer asked me if I’d been recruited for “St. Baldrick’s” yet. “What,” I naively asked, “is St. Baldrick’s?”.

St. Baldrick’s is a fundraising event where participants (“shaveees”) recruit donors to support kids with cancer and see the participant shaved bald. Heck, I’ll go bald to fight cancer. I shaved my head when Spencer’s hair fell out from chemotherapy. After it grew back (when Spencer’s hair came back I was allowed to grow mine) I shaved it again to do the Ride for the Roses. Time to do it again, but this time I want somebody to pay.

The primary beneficiary of St. Baldrick’s is CureSearch National Childhood Cancer Foundation which supports work at the Childrens’ Oncology Group to find a cure for cancer. CureSearch received Charity Navigator’s highest four star rating based on their efficiency on mission and capacity to execute. Spencer is in a clinical trial being run by the COG. I believe in their work. If you do, too, or you just want to see me bald, then Donate to see Rob bald again