When Matt Cools from Canberra approached the Australian Cancer Research Foundation to do a fundraising event, everyone here in the ACRF office was really excited because Matt had amazing hair.
He had been growing his dreadlocks for over ten years – his longest dread measured over 80cm! We couldn’t wait to see the “after” photos from the head shave event that Matt, and his wonderful wife Mel, organised last month.
Matt answered some of our questions about his event and what it was like to brave the shave:
Has anyone close to you ever been touched by cancer? Yes, I have had close family members affected by breast cancer, stomach cancer and small intestine cancer.
Why did you want to do a head shave as part of your fundraiser? It just seemed like the right time to cut my dreadlocks, and I was happy to do it for a good cause. But I have my wedding photos with the dreads, so that’s pretty cool.
Can you tell us about the day of the shave? I was feeling nervous before the shave, but I was looking forward to seeing all my friends and family that were coming along. We had about 70 people there and it was great catching up with everyone! After the auction winners had cut my dreads off it felt weird running my hands through my hair! I can now feel a breeze on the back of my head!
Why did you decide to support cancer research? I wanted to help researchers find a cure and better options for early diagnosis.
What would you say to someone thinking about fundraising for cancer research? It’s not that hard – all I had to do was cut off my hair! I would suggest that you make sure you have someone to help you organise the event so it isn’t too overwhelming. I would like to thank my wife, Mel, for organising the head shave event for me.
ACRF supporters love to brave the shave as a symbolic gesture of hope and solidarity for people with cancer. If you’re interested in fundraising for cancer research by shaving, cutting or colouring your hair, sign up here to give cancer the chop once and for all.
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