Strong & Courageous

Silas is going bald!

04 Feb 2012 Leave a Comment

by Carolyn in family, fundraising, research, update Tags: event, family, fundraising, research

You haven’t heard from me in a great while. My silence is good news because I’m doing very well. I’ve had little to report.

Nearly eighteen months have passed since my breast cancer diagnosis. My final chemotherapy treatment was on my 47th birthday (December 20, 2010). I completed radiation treatments almost exactly a year ago. I have hair again. And it’s brown again! Before and after my cancer diagnosis, I worked from home as a freelance writer. Since August 2011, I’ve worked with students at Wake Technical Community College in the Disability Support Services department. I have so much for which to be grateful.

Christmas 2011. ©Darren Vanden Berg

Cancer changes things forever. In my case, I believe things have changed for the better. … That may not be entirely true. A few challenges are still tripping me up, but I can definitely see blessings in many areas of my life. One benefit is the experiences my children had that I never in a million years would have chosen for them. They know the struggles cancer patients and their families face. They know the fear and pain. They also saw the kindness, goodness, generosity, and love of others, some mere aquaintences. They know God’s faithfulness first-hand.

Will he have as much fun when he's the one in the chair?

Armed with these personal experiences, Silas is taking action. He’s “Shaving the Way to Conquer Kids’ Cancer!” My Ringo-Starr-look-alike will have his head shaved on March 3 at Napper Tandy’s Irish Pub, joining more than 50 kids from his school and more than 220 other Raleigh-area participants.

Sponsor Silas at the St. Baldrick’s Foundation website  or by phone at 888-899-BALD. Please consider donating $5 or more to the St. Baldrick’s Foundation and help support pediatric oncology research. To see Silas’s fundraising progress and his “before” and “after” photos, visit his page on the St. Baldrick’s website.

St. Baldrick’s funds more in grants for childhood cancer research than any other organization except the U.S. government. Last year, the Foundation funded nearly $22 million in new grants – all because over 45,000 people shaved their heads. Visit StBaldricks.org for information about the organiztion’s responsible stewardship of your contribution.