SAN ANTONIO — Children are still being diagnosed with cancer during the ongoing pandemic, but donations to support research have drastically decreased.
On Saturday, 60 people shaved their heads and raised nearly $52,000 in the process, all in the name of supporting childhood cancer research.
“We are shaving our heads because I have a choice to go bald. The kids battling childhood cancers, they don’t have a choice,” said Clay Carabajal, who emceed the event.
Their goal for this year was $100,000. The event is a St. Baldrick’s Foundation signature event. Every year they raise money to help children beat cancer.
The organization says one in five kids who are diagnosed with cancer in the U.S. dies. Saturday’s event was personal for Lisa Sanders, whose 1-year-old daughter, Rayley Rose, passed away from cancer in 2007.
“This is for kids. It’s not about me, it’s not about any of these other people shaving," Sanders said. "It’s about the kids who need better treatment."
Sanders says she’s shaved her head every year since Rayley's passing. For her, it’s therapeutic.
“She was an old soul. She was just happy, never crying. Anybody who knew us would say we’ve never seen that baby cry,” Sanders said. “This is cheaper than therapy, for a lot of us.”
“The goal for St. Baldricks is to buy children battling childhood cancer more time," Carabajal added, "and, ultimately, to find cures to these childhood cancers. And we’re close."
To donate to childhood cancer research, click here.