Dear Sir,

I would like to highlight the efforts of three young men, and the St Baldrick’s Foundation. Despite the restrictions imposed by the pandemic this year, a group of young people decided that they were not going to let that get in the way of their annual fundraiser for St Baldrick’s. While it was different this year, and they couldn’t have their normal St Baldrick’s party at school, they signed up for a virtual event where they could participate from their own homes.

To raise money for childhood cancer research, Aidan Taylor, 8, and Wiseman brothers Bram, 9, and Nate, 11, shaved their heads at a recent St Baldrick’s Foundation event. The online event, held on June 5, raised more than $16,000 as part of St Baldrick’s mission to fund the best childhood cancer research, no matter where it takes place.

Why all the shaved heads? Worldwide, cancer is diagnosed in a child every two minutes, and one in five children with cancer in the United States will not survive. Even for kids who do survive, by the time they are 50, more than 99 per cent have had a chronic health problem and 96 per cent have experienced severe or life-threatening conditions.

Donations raised at events such as this have made it possible for St Baldrick’s to fund more than $305 million in life-saving childhood cancer research.

These young men, as a team, set themselves a target of raising more than $5,000 to help children with cancer and to raise awareness of childhood cancer in these tough times, when it is easy to forget that people are struggling with things beyond Covid-19.

They reached and exceeded this target by the start of the event, with more donations still coming (as of June 13, the number exceeded $11,000). Their team page honours three local children who are fighting, and beating, cancer.

St Baldrick’s is on a mission to help give kids a lifetime by funding the best childhood cancer research, wherever it takes place. You can make a difference for kids with cancer by participating in a head-shaving event and raising money that will go towards life-saving research. Visit https://www.Stbaldricks.org/get-involved to learn more.

Anyone interested in sponsoring these brave young men, or participating in an event themselves, can do so at https://www.stbaldricks.org/teams/SaltusSuperstars.

VANESSA TAYLOR

Warwick