At Bathtub Row Brewing in Los Alamos on Saturday, folks we’re getting haircuts not just to beat the summer heat, but to raise money for cancer research. For the last three months, community members have asked friends and family for donations with the promise that they’ll shave their heads to support the St. Baldrick’s Foundation’s child cancer research efforts.
Organizer Becca Jones said the shaved heads show solidarity with child cancer patients who lose their hair after chemotherapy.
"If we can get adults and others in the community to do the same thing and go bald for the cure and be brave with those kids, it shows that the community is behind you and we're going to do it with you."
This was the 16th year that Santa Fe firefighter and ER nurse Rollins Jones shaved his head to support St. Baldrick’s cancer research. Jones estimates he’s raised over $70,000 over the years. He said his involvement is largely motivated by working with child cancer patients in ambulances and emergency rooms.
"A lot of times it felt like the parents and the close family fighting this battle alone, and it never sat well with me," he said. "And then I found out childhood cancer is among the least federally funded cancer research and I think it's because these kids don't have a voice."
Some local politicians took a seat in the barber’s chair as well. Steven Lynne is a retired Los Alamos County Manager who is currently running for a Los Alamos County County Commission seat. He was joined by incumbent county councilor and cancer survivor Theresa Cull and council candidate David Hampton. All three are Democrats. Lynn typically sports a combed back hairstyle and full beard but was happy to change up his look for the cause. Lynne said healthcare in general is top of mind for Los Alamos county voters and politicians alike. Lynne commended the work of the local community health council but acknowledged the area's healthcare shortcomings.
"We don't have some of the amenities that people who live here would really expect," he said. "We have a generally very healthy community, but we're also short on resources."
If you’d like to learn more about St. Baldricks child cancer research, you can visit StBaldricks.org.
