Every two hours an Australian loses their life to blood cancer.
It’s a gruelling disease that knows no boundaries and can develop in anyone, of any age, at any time.
Currently more than 60,000 Australians are living with blood cancer or related disorders, and every day another 35 people will be diagnosed.
So this March 16 th -19 th it’s time to unite against one of the most common cancer deaths, by becoming involved in World’s Greatest Shave.
It’s an exciting fundraiser where people of all ages will shave, colour or wax the hair on their head, chest or face.
March 16th -19th are a fun few days where people have been known to shave their dreadlocks, wax their hairy chests or vibrantly colour hair with stars, love hearts, and punk mo-hawks.
Proceeds will go towards giving families facing blood cancer the emotional and practical support they need such as providing support programs, transportation and housing.
You will also be funding research that will help more people survive blood cancers and improve their quality of life.
$250 raises enough money to enable a family to attend a support program specific to their blood cancer.
Whereas, $10,000 is enough to provide emotional support to help 300 families overcome the initial shock and stress of being diagnosed.
This year the Leukaemia Foundation aims to raise over $17 million dollars.
While there’s still a long way to go to finding a cure, there has been immense progress since the fundraiser was set up, says Head of Fundraising, David Simms.
“We all hope and dream of a cure, but that’s a long way off. In saying that, we have made huge strides in recent years, coming up with drugs that help people deal with their cancer. There are many drugs now which as recently as seven years ago were not available.” he told HuffPost Australia.
You can register on their website at https://worldsgreatestshave.com/