I'm Proud to Call Them My Friends

A few good friends of mine have chosen to participate in a fundraiser that supports St. Baldrick's Foundation. I thought I would include the letters they sent to myself and countless other close friends and family.

From Ben: In the fall of 2006 I began dating a girl named Sara Keene. By April of 2007 she was in the Hospital at Emory University starting her treatment for Acute Myelogenous Leukemia. Like many Cancer patents undergoing chemotherapy, Sara chose to shave her head rather than undergo the emotionally painful slow loss of her hair. She asked me if I would shave my head with her. Knowing the strength and confidence it would bring her I willing agreed. It was the least I could do to support her through this tough time. In January of 2008 I lost Sara to Leukemia. Not a day has passed that a memory of her does not bring a smile to my face; I was lucky to have her in my life, even if it was just for a short time.

I was recently asked to shave my head once again. Without hesitation I said yes. On March 10^th I’m going to shave my head in support of the St. Baldricks Foundation. St. Baldricks raises money for childhood cancer research and brighten the lives of numerous childhood cancer patients by shaving the heads of thousands of volunteers. With the loss of my hair I want to instill courage and hope in all the children supported by St. Baldricks, but I need your help to fund the research that saves these children’s lives. Please visit www.stbaldricks.org/participants/benhollerbach and support this great cause.

From Chris: Hey guys, just wanted to let everyone know that I've decided to participate in this years St. Baldrick's event. In case you don't know, St. Baldrick's is a foundation which raises money for childhood cancer research by getting donors to donate their hair as a sign of solidarity. Yes, you heard that right...I'll be shaving my head. Anyways, I wanted to send this out to all my good friends since I know each and every one of you have been affected by cancer. I'd ask that you go to my page below to get more information on St. Baldricks. If you would like to donate money and sponsor me, there is a "make a donation" link on the front page if you would like to pay by credit card. If you would rather do cash/check, please give to me and I will submit the money online.

https://www.stbaldricks.org/participants/CFreddie Thanks for your time and I hope everyone has a wonderful day! Let me know if you have any questions.

I will be donating to each of them on behalf of my father, who is a cancer survivor, and even if you aren't able to help financially at this time, please keep them in your thoughts, as I think this is an extremely honorable thing to do. Feel free to share other philanthropic activities you are participating in, whether you need financial or spiritual support. I'm happy to help in whatever way I can.