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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

L.A. event inspires, nets cancer cash

Women shave heads to raise money

By: Jillian Austin

Posted: 08/3/2012 1:00 AM | Comments: 0

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Brandon Sun

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Brandon Sun PHOTOS LEFT: Karen Whitfield at the 46 Mommas event with her son, Lance, and her hair intact. ABOVE: Jason Winston George of Grey�s Anatomy does some celebrity shearing. RIGHT: Mother and son after shaving.

BRANDON -- Emotional. Inspiring. Empowering.

Those are the words Karen Whitfield used to describe her experience at the 46 Mommas: Shave for the Brave event in Los Angeles.

Whitfield, of Killarney, was one of 46 moms who shaved their heads on July 29 in an effort to raise money and awareness for childhood cancer research.

"To meet everybody in person was just fantastic," Whitfield said. "Some of them had the kids there that they were honouring. Unfortunately there were some, too, that the kids had passed away, so it was very emotional, but it was great being in contact with everybody that shared something in common."

Whitfield was inspired to raise funds for the cause and take part in the event by her five-year-old son, Lance.

At just 23 months old, Lance was diagnosed with an aggressive bone cancer in his mouth and jaw. He went through six months of chemotherapy and 31 days of radiation at Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg.

It was a frightening time for the family, but fortunately Lance has now been in remission for two years.

"He's doing well -- in December he'll be at the three-year cancer-free mark," Whitfield said. "Then we change over to scans (from three months to) every six months."

Because of the radiation, Lance lost all but six of his teeth. His lower jawbone is dead and not growing. When he's a teenager, it is expected Lance will go through a major reconstructive surgery.

The 46 Mommas organization began in 2010 and established a fundraising goal of $1 million for the St. Baldrick's Foundation. The 46 Mommas name stems from the statistic that on any given weekday in the United States, 46 mothers are given the devastating news their child has cancer.

Through the Childhood Cancer Canada Foundation, and the St. Baldrick's Foundation, Whitfield was chosen to be one of three Canadians involved in the event.

Whitfield managed to raise $29,000 -- the most out of all the Mommas. Whitfield had her head shaved by "celebrity barber" Jason Winston George, star of Grey's Anatomy.

"Just being up on that stage was unbelievable; there were so many people," she said.

Now the event is over, Whitfield said she has no plans on stopping. Fundraising for 46 Mommas continues until the end of the year.

"I want to keep going, because I want to see a cure," she said. "There were so many kids there, some were in treatment, some were in wheelchairs and they just don't know... you just never know, and that's the hardest part with anybody that's been affected. Whether they're still in treatment or whether they're cancer-free, you still don't know, you have to live every day... you just don't know the future."

Whitfield hopes the research can develop better treatments for children.

"The treatments that they have are so harsh and so aggressive and that's where you get all these long-term side-effects," she said. "They're not from the cancer, they're from the treatment."

The money Whitfield raised stays in Canada for childhood cancer research.

To donate to her cause visit stbaldricks.org/participants/karenwhitfield .

-- Brandon Sun

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition August 3, 2012 A9

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