Above: Before (well, during) and after photos of Jeanne Sager's cancer-fighting 'do. Photos courtesy of Jeanne Sager; reproduced with permission.
How far would you go to fight cancer?
Jeanne Sager, the Sullivan County writer and mom behind the blog Inside Out Motherhood, has shaved her head for cancer fundraising six times. It's part of a fundraiser run by the St. Baldrick's Foundation, a nonprofit whose supporters raise money to fight childhood cancer by shaving their heads and soliciting donations from friends and family.
This time around, Sager writes, she decided to go further, and dye her hair pink for a couple of months in anticipation of the big day. Why pink? Well, it turns out, when you walk around rural upstate New York with hair the color of the Barbie Dreamhouse, people notice.
For two months I wandered the world with a head that looked like I'd been dipped in a cotton candy machine. The plan was to use it to attract attention for the cause, and to some degree it worked. As late as Friday night I was able to bring in some extra cash to add to the donation pile, and it's all because the donor had commented on my hair.
Turns out that in addition to boosting your fundraising prowess, dyeing your hair Day-Glo pink gets you some priceless comments from total strangers. But not everybody was a good sport about it. Sager's number one reason she's glad to say goodbye to the pink hair:
The dirty looks. Yes, I had pink hair. No, it didn't change the fact that I'm a law-abiding citizen who has been known to help little old ladies load their groceries into the back of their car and play peek-a-boo with random babies in the restaurant. It's just hair folks, deal with it!
As of this post, Sager is still hoping to raise at least another $200 for St. Baldrick's. Check out her fundraising page to track her progress or contribute.
