The Gift of Empathy

The St. Baldrick’s Foundation Will Show You How Beautiful Bald Can Be!

13th Annual Event at Saratoga City Tavern – Saturday, March 18th

SARATOGA SPRINGS – Numbers don’t lie. And when it comes to childhood cancer, most of the numbers are horrible.

A few will suffice to tell the story. In the United States, 1 in 5 children diagnosed with cancer will not survive. And among those who do survive, over 99% will suffer from chronic health problems by age 50.

There’s plenty more numbers like that, unfortunately, and they’re not hard to find. And even more unfortunate is that a consequence of cancer treatment causes a child to lose their hair. Making them feel isolated. Singled out. And alone.

Also unfortunate is how easy it is to be a victim. There are no barriers to entry; it can happen to anyone. In what seems to be a blink of an eye, your life is changed.

But, it is what you do in response that makes all the difference.

Since 2004, the St. Baldrick’s Foundation; a volunteer-driven not-for-profit, has delivered their response emphatically, through it’s “Shavee” fundraisers. Shavee’s demonstrate their gift for empathy by volunteering to do what a childhood cancer victim has no choice about: Going bald says to these children “You are just like me,” and, “we are in this together.” To date, the Foundation has raised, and granted, over $325 million for childhood cancer research, all through marshalling the open hearts (and heads) of individual volunteers and donors.

Here’s a short video that sums up why so many have answered the call to “Brave the shave.”

Source: The St. Baldrick’s Foundation City Tavern EVENT PAGE

Now, it must be said that it takes an extra-hearty soul to “Brave the Shave,” and many of your (male AND female) neighbors will be doing just that on March 18. But that is hardly the only way to show your support. You can form a team, sponsor a “Shavee,” or just plain donate. The City Tavern’s event PAGE on St. Baldrick’s site spells out all the options, registration procedures, etc.

In short, there are many ways that you can be a hero. Many ways to take an emphatic stand for empathy; an emphatic stand that says that the status quo is unacceptable – and that you join your neighbors in pledging to stick to that stance until the scourge of childhood cancers is eradicated from the face of the Earth.

Arthur Gonick – March 4, 2023