Grade 5 student going bald to fight childhood cancer

Posted Feb 16, 2012 By Eddie Rwema

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EMC News - Ten-year-old Riley Guindon has avoided the barber's scissors for the past year, diligently growing his hair just so he can go bald during one of the coldest months of the year.

This is the fourth time Grade 5 Guindon is participating in the University of Ottawa Shave for a Cure event. In honour of his dedication to raising funds to fight childhood cancers, organizers have requested he drop the puck for the opening of the 67's game on Feb. 24.

"I do it because I have two people in my family that got cancer," Guindon said of why he has grown his hair and lopped it off four times.

He is participating this year not only for his mother's cousin who has long passed, but for his grandmother who he said he draws strength from and can proudly call a breast cancer survivor.

"It is sad that people are dying with cancer," said Guindon.

He said he thinks he is doing a great job and hopes people would help out more often.

"Anybody can help by shaving to help people with cancer," he said. "It makes me feel pretty good about myself and I am happy about it."

His mother Chantal Martin said her son has seen first hand how cancer affects people and how difficult it is on their families.

"I am happy that he took it on with pride and not just doing it to get his head shaved," said Martin.

Guindon's goal is to raise $1,000.

The University of Ottawa's faculty of medicine, which is hosting the event, is challenging the public to brave the cold weather and shave their heads - or lop off 10 inches of hair - for Smiling Over Sickness, the volunteer-based non-profit organization run by the medical students at the university. The organization has partnered with the St. Baldrick's Foundation to fundraise for Childhood Cancer Canada.

"Participants, or shavees, are a large part of our fundraising every year," medical student and event co-organizer Pamela Lai said in a statement.

The students are hoping to raise $60,000 to contribute to pediatric cancer research.

"Every bit counts tremendously towards our goal of $60, 000," said Lai. "The Ottawa community has always been great to us."

Other ways to get involved in the fundraising effort include:

- Purchasing a ticket for the Ottawa 67's game for Feb. 24 through the Shave for a Cure website, www.shaveforacure.ca.

- Bidding in the silent auction on site at Lansdowne on Feb. 24.

- Donating online to the event.

Proceeds from tickets purchased online are donated and are available until Feb. 20.

"We want Shave for a Cure to keep growing," said Bradley Sarak, a medical student and the event's co-organizer. "We want everyone to crave the shave."

For more information, visit the website at www.shaveforacure.ca

CHILDHOOD CANCER IN CANADA

All donations collected through the University of Ottawa's Shave for a Cure event remain in Canada and go towards funding pediatric cancer research.

- About 1,500 new cases of childhood cancers are diagnosed in Canada every year.

- There are around 10,000 children living with cancer in Canada today.

- About 78 per cent of these children will survive five years or more because of advances in therapy - an increase of almost 46 per cent since the 1960s.

- About one in four children who are diagnosed with cancer will die.

- In the 1950s, less than

10 per cent of childhood

cancer patients could be cured.

- The most common childhood cancers are leukemias, tumours of the brain and nervous system, and cancers of the lymphatic system, kidneys, bones and muscles.

- Childhood cancers have close to a 75 per cent cure rate.

For more information, visit www.childhoodcancer.ca.




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