One of our front office receptionists, Nengsi, had her head shaved at the recent Hair for Hope 2018, an annual fundraising campaign in support of children with cancer. She is the first member of the Specialist Dental Group team to participate in this good cause, and it is her first time having her head shaved. We are all very proud of her! Here is an interview with her to find out more about her experience.
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What made you decide to participate in Hair for Hope?
This event has been around for the past 16 years and I got to know about it approximately 10 years ago. I considered doing this for probably 7 years. People might know the existence and purpose of this event, but if it is not someone you know who is participating in the event, you don’t feel much. This is actually a very good event to create awareness about children with cancer to the people around us.
One day, this event came across my mind again, I asked myself if I am going to participate to show practical support. I decided that action speaks louder than words and proceeded to register online.
What gave you the courage to shave your head?
When I see children suffering from illnesses, I feel compelled to do something but I can’t seem to help much. I want to do more than making a donation. Therefore I decided to join this event to show my commitment and effort to these children who are suffering. I really hope that through my actions, the people around will be driven to do something different for Children’s Cancer Foundation too. Who knows, they may end up joining me next year?
Before the actual day, what were you looking forward to?
I was looking forward to know how my family members and friends will react when they see my shaven head. I hope they will think that it is actually not a bad idea to be bald. I also hope that they will join me in this event to help create more awareness about children who suffer from cancer.
What did your family members say about it?
Many of them asked me “Are you sure? You have such long hair! When will it grow back to your original length again?” I told them that my hair will eventually grow and the length doesn’t really matter to me.
Did you get a lot of stares after?
I am not sure if I am getting stares. I guess people passing by me might think that I am a cancer patient, or they might know that I shaved my hair during Hair for Hope. Hopefully that will help to increase awareness about childhood cancer and tell children with cancer that it is alright be bald.
Any words of encouragement for our young patients?
Being ill is not your choice, but you can choose to stay positive while fighting the illness. Show the world that although you are young in age, you are strong. Look forward to becoming healthy so that you can extend your helping hand to other less fortunate children in future.
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Through her efforts, Nengsi raised a total of $3,490.50 (accurate as at time of publish) for Children’s Cancer Foundation. It has only been a month since she shaved her head and now she is already thinking about next year’s event 😉
