By Kevin Hendricks
A wave of support and shaved heads marked the 19th annual St. Baldrick’s Foundation fundraiser in Rio Rancho, bringing in thousands of dollars for childhood cancer research.
The event, held March 1 at the Rio Rancho Events Center, raised about $33,500. In exchange for donations, people signed up for head shaves and other services, such as beard and eyebrow shaves.
Rio Rancho Mayor Gregg Hull challenged the community to raise $10,000, promising to shave his head if the goal was met. While roughly $6,000 was raised specifically for his shave, Hull followed his promise and saw his flowing locks end up on the events center floor.
“I knew the minute I raised $1 that I was going to have to shave my head,” Hull said. “I was sitting there just watching the kids dance and smile and have a good time, and I thought to myself, that’s what a childhood is supposed to be about.”
As Hull gets used to his new hairdo, Roger Tannen, an emergency department nurse at the University of New Mexico Sandoval Regional Medical Center, has kept a “can’t-miss” appointment with an electric shaver each March for nearly two decades.
A Bernalillo County firefighter, Tannen has been shaving his head for the annual St. Baldrick’s Foundation fundraiser for 19 years. He also volunteers to organize the event. Tannen was inspired to participate after his 8-year-old nephew was diagnosed with leukemia. His nephew is now an adult and doing well.
“When I was first doing it, it was embarrassing,” Tannen said. “I’d get up there on stage and it was very nerve-wracking. But now, it’s a very humbling experience.”
This year, Tannen dedicated his shave to 4-year-old Adrian, who is currently in remission from Acute myeloid leukemia.
“It’s humbling when you realize that these children don’t have a choice,” Tannen said. “You’re left awe-struck, really. Sometimes, when a patient receiving cancer care – an adult or a child – is losing their hair, they’re wearing wigs or they’re wearing hats because they’re embarrassed. For me to be able to stand up after my head is shaved and say, ‘Look, I did this’ – it’s my way of showing that I care.”
According to a press release from UNMH, the St. Baldrick’s Foundation has supported several research projects at UNM Children’s Hospital.
“Our goal is to get as many of our patients as we can into clinical trials,” said Jessica Valdez, MD, MPH, an associate professor in the Division of Pediatric Oncology and UNM’s principal investigator for the Children’s Oncology Group, the world’s largest organization devoted exclusively to childhood and adolescent cancer research.
“In clinical trials, our patients are contributing to science as a whole and helping to move the field forward and move the bar forward,” she said. “It is because of clinical trials that we are where we are today with our advancement in cancer research,” she said.
Valdez said research has helped improve childhood cancer survival rates from 10% to 85% over the past 50 years, and St. Baldrick’s has been an important research partner for UNM Children’s Hospital for many years.
“St. Baldrick’s is an amazing organization,” Valdez said. “I personally apply for a grant every single year that helps support clinical trial research. While St. Baldrick’s supports research, they’re also really supporting patients and bringing awareness to the cause as a whole.”