Close shave benefits fight against cancer
Bruce Buchholz, his son Wolfgang and Tom Brown. Buchholz and Brown shaved their heads in solidarity with Wolfgang, who is undergoing chemotherapy.
As of last Friday afternoon, Bruce Buchholz and Tom Brown of the Center for Accelerator Mass Spectrometry each had a full head of hair.
As of that evening, they were both "Mr. Clean" bald.
They didn't shave their heads on a dare, but instead did it in an effort to help raise $5,100 to spread the word and raise funds to conquer children's cancer.
Buchholz' 6-year-old son, Wolfgang, was diagnosed with a brain tumor in October, and since then has undergone several rounds of chemotherapy. In a sign of solidarity, Buchholz and his colleague Brown decided to join Wolfgang by shaving their heads.
Wolfgang began first grade and fall soccer at the end of August. Like most 6-year old boys, he enjoyed running around and racing on his scooter. During September, Buchholz and his wife noticed that he was experiencing a gradual loss in coordination and gross motor skills, while his fine motor skills were improving. He lost the ability to run and kick a ball at the same time. His writing was getting better and he was quickly progressing on the piano. When he was diagnosed with the tumor, he had surgery to resect it two days later. He is still in the midst of treatment.
"Wolfgang is a complex boy," Buchholz said. "He enjoys cuddling, riding roller coasters, driving his scooter too fast, making music, playing video games and building with legos. He has a beautiful smile and a beautiful soul."
In a tribute to Wolfgang, Brown, who had a long shaggy coif and a full beard, came out of the event with a bald head and a goatee.
"I'm amazed at the amount of support people have given us," Brown said. "We're shaving our heads in support of kids who have or who have had cancer. I've never had my head shaved before and I'll live with it for the next six months. It will be a real change for me and my family. But it's just hair, it doesn't really matter much."
Buchholz said people worldwide shave their heads as part of the St. Baldrick's Foundation fund-raising event. The money goes to the St. Baldrick's Foundation, a non-profit that coordinates worldwide head-shaving events that raise money to support childhood cancer research.
"Most kids and people who undergo chemotherapy lose their hair, so we're doing this to honor the kids and deal with the same thing as them," Buchholz said.
This isn't the first time Buchholz has shaved his head to honor his son. He shaved it in December when his son came home for Christmas. But last week's event was another opportunity to pay tribute to his son.
"I was really surprised by the support," he said. "And I was overwhelmed that Tom Brown would do it, knowing how much hair he has."
The event was held at former CAMS director Jay Davis' house in Livermore. CAMS researchers and their families held an auction to get Brown to shave his full beard down to a goatee.
The St. Baldrick's Foundation funds local institutions and cooperative research on a national scale to help doctors work together to develop the best treatments for all children with cancer. The research grants enable doctors and scientists at more than 230 institutions to pursue the most promising new cures for childhood cancer. Grants focus on saving lives and giving survivors the best possible quality of life. For more information, go to the St. Baldrick's Foundation Website.
