One Month until Shave

10th March 2016

One Month until Shave

Waikato farmer Damian Bardoul was on a pig hunting trip when he realised something wasn’t right.

The strapping 22-year-old was struggling to carry the pig he’d just caught. He was constantly out of breath and had to keep sitting down.

“My friends said ‘mate, if you can’t carry your pig out of the bush, then there must be something seriously wrong with you.’”

They were right.

A week later Damian was told he had acute lymphoblastic leukaemia – a rapidly progressing cancer which affects the white blood cells.

Fortunately for Damian, a quick diagnosis and cutting-edge medication meant he’s now in remission and getting on with a relatively normal life.

But his story is far from unusual.

Every day six average kiwis like Damian are diagnosed with a blood cancer. Leukaemia is the most common of all childhood cancers and lymphoma is the most common cancer for 15 to 24-year-olds.

In less than a month thousands of kiwis will show their support for New Zealanders living with a blood cancer when they lose their locks for Shave for a Cure.

Leukaemia & Blood Cancer New Zealand’s signature fundraising event will be held April 4th – 10th to raise money for the 10,000 New Zealanders living with a blood cancer.

Last year almost 2,000 brave Shavees mowed their mops and through the support of their friends, families, local businesses and schools managed to raise $1.4 million.

This year’s Shave promises to be even bigger with a marketing campaign that humorously suggests ‘bad hair’ could be conquered if you simply lose your hair altogether.

The horrors of the ‘mullet’ as well as the hassles of ‘humidity hair’ could be banished forever by pulling out the clippers and braving a Shave.

The campaign is off to a hair-razing start with more than 425 people already signed up and more than $110,000 raised.

The SKYCITY NZ Breakers squad have again shown their support for the six kiwis diagnosed with a blood cancer every day by Shaving their heads in February.

LBC’s services include patient support, funding for research, information and awareness programmes and advocating on behalf of patients.
“Year after year we are blown away by the number of New Zealanders who get behind Shave.”

“LBC doesn’t receive any government funding, so the funds raised through Shave are vital to help us continue to run our service across the country.”

Farmers are supporting Shave for a Cure again in 2016 with Shaves at stores across the country. The list of stores participating as well as how Shavees can register and establish individual fundraising pages can be found at www.shaveforacure.co.nz

Ends

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