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LAWRENCE: Taking it all off

Shaved heads help fight against cancer

By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
   When Aaron Thompson volunteered to have his head shaved to raise money for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, he did it because he thought it was a really cool haircut — a pretty typical reaction for an 11-year-old boy.
   Aaron discovered that he enjoyed raising money for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, which funds grants for childhood cancer research. He rounded up some friends to join him in having their heads shaved, and the Bald Buddies team was formed. He is the captain.
   But this year, the 15-year-old Lawrence High School sophomore did not take part in the St. Baldrick’s Foundation fundraiser, which was held Saturday afternoon at Amalfi’s restaurant on the Lawrenceville-Pennington Road.
   That’s because Aaron found himself in the unexpected position of being a childhood cancer victim. He was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin Burkitt’s lymphoma in December, and he is currently undergoing treatment at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
   One day in November, Aaron felt a bump on the side of his neck. When it did not go away after a few weeks, the family made an appointment to see Aaron’s doctor. A few days later, Aaron’s mother, Dana Thompson, said she received “a horrible call” while she was at work.
   ”(The doctor) told us to go to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia immediately, and to plan on staying there for two weeks. It was just like that. I went into ‘mom mode.’ I told Aaron that he was sick and the doctors will make you better,” Ms. Thompson said.
   Aaron was not admitted immediately. He made a few outpatient visits to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and he was admitted the day after Christmas. He stayed in the hospital for almost two weeks, receiving chemotherapy. He was sent home for a few weeks, before returning for more treatments.
   In the meantime, Ms. Thompson said, she has learned more about the rare variant of non-Hodgkin lymphoma than she ever wanted to know. Aaron’s prognosis is good, she said, adding that it has a 90-percent cure rate.
   ”I call Aaron my hero. He smiles. He never complains. He knows what he has to do. He has faith and trust in us. A lot of our faith and trust comes from the people around us,” Ms. Thompson said of the support the family has received from the Lawrence community.
   For Aaron, the cancer diagnosis was “pretty hard to believe.” It is like being in another world — like having a bad dream, he said. It is good to know that “everybody out there is supporting me. They are helping me in exchange for my helping out with St. Baldrick’s,” he said.
   ”I never really imagined that I would need help like this. The appeal (for the fundraiser) to me was to shave my head, but this gives it a whole different perspective,” Aaron said. His hair has fallen out as a side effect of the chemotherapy.
   Obviously, Aaron was unable to participate in this year’s fundraiser, which drew more than 200 volunteer shavees and their families to Amalfi’s restaurant — despite the unexpected snowstorm Saturday afternoon. The effort raised $118,101.92, surpassing the goal of $75,000.
   Greg Thompson, Aaron’s father, volunteered to have his head shaved in place of his son. Pointing out that this was the first time he was having his head shaved, Mr. Thompson noted the “ironic situation” in which the family found itself. He said he commended his son for his strength and courage.
   Seated on a stool and looking out into the crowd, Mr. Thompson said, “I love this town. I love this town.” Then, Aaron took the electric razor and shaved off his father’s hair.
   The Bald Buddies team stepped up and allowed the barbers and beauticians to shave their heads. Lawrence High School Assistant Principal Clifford Williams joined the effort and allowed his head to be shaved, too. The Bald Buddies contributed $23,155.27 of the total amount raised.
   Although Aaron was 11 years old when he first shaved his head, one of the youngest shavees Saturday was 4-year-old Jackson Zalaznick. He joined his father, Jacob Zalaznick, in giving up his hair to raise money.
   Mr. Zalaznick heard about the St. Baldrick’s Foundation fundraiser from some friends last year and took part in it. This year, in the spirit of “like father, like son,” Jackson told his father that he wanted to do it, too.
   ”Physically, (the haircut) feels great. Emotionally, it is rewarding because of the children you are helping,” Mr. Zalaznick said.
   But volunteering to have your head shaved is not just a “guy” thing. Two 7-year-old girls — Nidhi Das and Charlotte Luckey — signed up to have their heads shaved. The best friends are second-graders at the Ben Franklin Elementary School.
   The two girls climbed up onto the stools and waited to have their heads shaved. Nidhi’s black hair was almost shoulder length, while Charlotte’s brown hair fell below her shoulders. The beautician pulled some of Charlotte’s hair into a ponytail and snipped it off. Charlotte smiled.
   ”It feels like it’s cold,” Nidhi said after she jumped down from the stool, sporting fuzz where there had been hair a few minutes ago.
   ”It feels kind of weird,” Charlotte said.
   Both girls agreed that they wanted to help raise money to help children who have cancer.
   ”Nidhi inspired me (to participate). It’s a good idea. Nidhi said she was going to do it, and I thought that was a good idea. I wasn’t really afraid (to have my head shaved). I want to do it again next year,” Charlotte said.
   Jacob Luckey, Charlotte’s father, said he was very proud of his daughter.
   ”I am proud of how selfless she is as a person. It’s just who she is. She can do it again next year, if she wants to,” Mr. Luckey said.
For more information about the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, visit www.stbaldricks.org.