From "Bad Hair" To "Had Hair"

The information filtered to the Wellington High School students and staff a few months ago: a massive team effort to raise money in the fight against pediatric cancer. And all we needed to do - besides raising money, that is - was get our hair shaved off.

Say what?

It's called St. Baldrick's Day - an event where participants shave their scalps to show solidarity with children who have cancer and typically lose their hair during cancer treatment for children's cancer research. Funds raised by the St. Baldrick's Foundation will be used to fund childhood cancer research - to help speed the day when every child with cancer will be guaranteed a healthy future. Worldwide, more than 160,000 children are diagnosed with cancer each year. While advances have saved many children, childhood cancer still claims the lives of more children in the US than any other disease - more than diabetes, asthma, congenital anomalies, cystic fibrosis and AIDS - combined!

And so I jumped in, one of about 10 teachers, and around 20 students, who dared to go bald.

I actually did this once before, back in the late 1990s, when I was working for WBFH-FM, the Bloomfield Hills School District's radio station, as part of a fundraiser for the March of Dimes.

Now, I know, you're thinking: "Gaba doesn't really have that much hair ... why on earth should I donate?" Well, it's really simple ... I grew my hair out over a four-month period. By late March, I had envisioned a mullet. Or, for you Fletch fans, the super-huge 1970s Michael Jacksonesque 'fro. Yeah. Really. I even bought the industrial size tub of hair gel to try and make my hair somewhat manageable as we approached the big day.

As you can tell ... I looked more like Don King.

So I emailed out a ton of family and friends in early January, and received a ton of responses. They included:

It's nice to know there's a (bald) face behind the email. BTW, are you keeping the beard?

The four of us pledge to donate $10 for every inch of the "longest" lock cut; so if you grow three inches, that's $30. Five inches = $50. And, as we are in cold, cold Michigan, where people grow hair for insulation, we request you post a series of pictures showing hair growth, the shaving, and final product (if possible)!

I think it is very kind and generous of you to do this. I myself participated in the LiveStrong Challenge in August, and I can say that it is very gratifying to be able to raise money for cancer research and support services. I don't know if you know that I had cancer in 2006. It was a terrible time for our family and friends and also I lost a very dear friend to leukemia in August, so I am a very big supporter to any kind of cancer fundraiser. So good luck and I hope that you can double your sponsorship goal.

By the time of the big shave this morning, I had raised just over $1,000.

I, along with all the participants - and a number of students who were there, in the school gym, having paid for the honor by purchasing either a t-shirt or wristband (or both) - were ready for the experience. There were a number of speakers - including survivors of childhood cancer and parents of survivors. There were administrators and the local media. And there were volunteers from area hair salons. Originally, students were going to be the shavers, but for some reason - liability? - that was changed at the last minute.

The didn't have enough chairs for all the faculty or students to be done in one shot, so the fun and festivities started with the faculty. I stood by while all the other staff members received their haircuts. Then, about 15 minutes later, I was shown my chair, and two blonde hairdressers began sculpting ... I mean, scalping ... me.

Well, after they trimmed the goatee.

I must admit, the goatee was not part of the original plan. But they asked me while I was sitting there, and I spontaneously decided, if we're going to do this, we need to go all the way.

Then we decided, just for shits and giggles, do trim the mop of scariness into a mohawk, for glory and photography's sake.

One of my debate parents asked me, during the pledge request phase, what motivated me to do the St. Baldrick's event. I had a multiple-prong response: (1) my father died of brain cancer in 1988; that was the biggest reason for my participation; (2) a former student of mine from the International Academy in Michigan was diagnosed with leukemia his senior year, and he was probably the most amazing child I have ever met - originally from German, spoke multiple languages fluently (English, German, Spanish, French, Latin, and Old German - which I discovered when we were discussing Beowulf), IQ through the roof; (3) one of my best friends from college is a testicular cancer survivor; he and I have had many long talks about my father and him; and (4) it sounded like a good thing to get involved with.

I have no regrets. Not a one.

During the mohawk process, my principal, Cheryl Alligood, took a look at me and proclaimed, "Oh, I have got to get a photo of this!" The hairdressers paused for a moment to let us have our Kodak moment together. Then she laughed.

After I was done, it was the students' turn. The student who raised the most was the last to go ... and was also the only female (staff or student) to get shaved. She was both excited and extremely nervous. But the crowd - students, faculty, all those who had already been shaved bald - cheered her and gave her encouraging words. Then, when it was done, she was carried off the stage to a standing ovation.

Damn cool.

This was Wellington's first time doing this. When all was said and done, we raised over $20,000 for the fight. Hopefully next year, it will be more.

Afterward, I went back to my classroom, where a substitute had been filling in for me. And ... the strangest thing began to happen. Students who were at lunch ... or in different classes ... or who had been in my class earlier, when I was busy with the cause ... started "dropping by" the classroom to "say hello" to me and "see if I was OK."

Yeah ... I was definitely OK.

I got photos almost immediately after the experience, and posted them on Facebook. And the St. Baldrick's website. And sent the via email to those who were unable to access either site. And the responses ... well, here's a sampling:

My goodness! It's Yul Brenner!! Actually, it's quite distinguished.

You look pretty darned handsome, there!! Maybe the beginning of a total makeover!!!

Looks like a fun day. Nice fro-hawk.

Dude, you have less hair than I do!!! AGAIN!!!!

I liked the Mohawk ... I think that would be a permanent good look for a debate coach.

So, now the regrowth starts. Lord knows, my supply of shampoo will be extended a bit longer this time around. And I don't anticipate hitting the salon any time soon. Unless there's some sort of dramatic "Chia-head" science project out there on the market I am not fully aware of at this time.

Or next year, maybe it will be a full year's growth that gets shaved.

For more information, visit the St. Baldrick website.