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ASU Students Shed Hair to Support Cancer Research

October 29, 2009 5:02 PM

ABC News on Campus reporter Brian McBride reports from Arizona State University:

Justin Salerno (left) is a three-time cancer survivor and he hasn’t even finished his first semester of college.

Salerno, 18, was first diagnosed with liver cancer when he was just 2 years old and then again at 3
years old.

The cancer metastasized into his lung when he was seven, but doctors caught it in time before radiation or chemotherapy had to be required.

“My fraternity Pi Kappa Phi decided to shave our heads to make a difference and raise awareness on campus,” Salerno said.

He doesn’t pity himself; instead, Justin and his fraternity brothers came together, to shave their heads to support a cause bigger than themselves.

“One of the hardest things when you’re going through chemo and radiation is you start to lose your hair, it can really bother people,” Salerno said. “To see other people shaving their heads, to make those feel normal is a really big deal.”

ASU's programming activities board brought Locks of Love and Goin’ Bald for Bucks to campus yesterday.

Locks of Love is a non-profit organization that helps provide wigs to cancer patients to help boost their self esteem. Goin’ Bald for Bucks is a symbolic fundraiser for students to shave their heads and show support to cancer patients who have lost their hair due to cancer treatment.

The event brought out the courage in many students to shed their locks, many of whom knew someone in their lives who had -- or has -- cancer.

Roommates Shane Chrisman and Andrew Chambers (left) saw the event while eating lunch nearby.

Both freshmen hesitated after watching other guys get their heads shaved, but then decided it was a no-brainer.

“Two of my family members passed away from cancer,” Chrisman said. “I never met my grandmother because of it.”

Shane donates to many causes, just not in this fashion.

“It’s definitely not the first time I donated for cancer, but definitely the craziest thing I’ve done for a donation,” Chrisman said. “But it’s all worth it.”

Chambers feels his roommate’s sentiment. His grandmother passed away this summer from cancer too.

“It’s still a very powerful thing for me,” Chambers said. “I felt like if I could help out a little bit, I should. This is a statement.”

For Justice major Alessa Aquayo, 21, (shown at left) sitting in the barber’s chair in front of her friends didn’t ease her nerves.

“I’m really nervous, I haven’t had short hair since I was in the first grade,” Aquayo said, as the hairdresser began cutting. “But it feels really good knowing that someone else needs it more than I do.”

 

The event lasted for only two hours, but during that short time several students connected over the loss of loved ones.

For Chambers, it was an eye-opening experience.

“It feels good to me to see all these people here,” he said. “Just to know that other people are going through the same thing, that maybe I wasn’t as alone as I thought."

At the end of the day, 76 people donated their hair and the organizations had raised approximately $2,500 dollars. The proceeds will go to the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, NY.

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