For most high school students, their hair is a crucial part of their everyday look. For junior, Meg Gabel, her hair will no longer be one of her top priorities. She will be shaving her head with the St. Baldrick’s Organization in honor of her childhood best friend, Emma.

Being a part of a military family can cause you to move around quite a bit. From Germany to Belgium and a total of 7 U.S. states, Meg has been moving for as long as she can remember. As you can imagine, moving a lot means Meg has to leave a lot of friends behind. In Belgium, she met Emma who will forever be with her. Emma was diagnosed with Wilms Tumor at 5 and after two years of a long, hard battle, she passed away at 7.

When asked what motivated her to do this she said, “I was just bored of long hair and I didn’t want to just cut it because that’s boring.” Meg has always been passionate about cancer research; she grew up donating her hair to Locks of Love. Once she read more about funding for cancer research she quickly realized that children’s cancer is very underfunded and deserves more attention. So, she decided to take a huge step by completely shaving her head and started to raise money on the St. Baldrick’s website.

St. Baldrick’s is an organization that focuses around childhood cancer research. Their idea came about when founders Tim Kenny, John Bender and Enda McDonnell challenged each other to shave their heads for donations to fund cancer research. From then on, the organization has had several events where individuals also fundraise and shave their heads.  St. Baldrick’s has been able to provide funding of multiple scientific breakthroughs, such as an FDA approved drug that is made specifically for children. Since becoming an independent organization in 2005 St. Baldrick’s has raised more than 234 million dollars in research grant funding.

While talking with Meg, she spoke about the statistic that every 2 minutes a child is diagnosed with cancer. This statistic made Meg realize that she wanted to lower that number even if it was just by a little.

So far, she has raised over $5200 through “word of mouth”, social media, and with the help of the Women’s Empowerment Club. The club has been selling bracelets for $2 and is going to be having a bake sale soon. To help Meg raise more money, you can donate to the St. Baldrick’s website or buy a bracelet in room 126 or from a Women’s Empowerment Club member.