University of Missouri School of Medicine students will raise money for childhood cancer research from 3 to 6 p.m. Saturday, April 15, at Logboat Brewery, 504 Fay St., Columbia, Missouri.
The fundraising event for St. Baldrick’s Foundation will feature supporters who will shave their heads as a way to show solidarity with pediatric cancer patients who have lost their hair as a result of treatment.
One supporter who will shave her head is Nicole Sadler, an occupational therapy assistant at MU Children’s Hospital.
“Most people do not know that childhood cancers often are very different than adult cancers,” Sadler said. “Additionally, pediatric cancer research is underfunded, so I decided to do something about it by raising money to find cures. The money we raise will not only help children with cancer, but also their families ― those loved ones who stand and fight alongside them.”
According to the Childhood Cancer Foundation, more than 13,000 children are diagnosed with cancer each year in the United States. One in every 330 Americans develops cancer before the age of 20.
“Every dollar makes a difference and we need your help,” said Robert Cristel, a fourth-year medical student at the MU School of Medicine and organizer for this year’s St. Baldrick’s event. “A few dollars from one person may just represent a cup of coffee or a sandwich to them, but collectively, when we all give a little, we can make a difference for thousands of children.”
Each year, St. Baldrick’s raises funds by hosting events throughout the world in which volunteers shave their heads. In the last six years, MU medical students have raised more than $230,000 for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, and nationwide events like the one at Logboat Brewery have raised more than $200 million since the organization’s inception in 2005.
To help MU medical students raise money for St. Baldrick’s Foundation, please visit http://www.stbaldricks.org/events/mizzoumed2017.
