Cayman Islands Fire Service officers were out in force Wednesday afternoon collecting donations for the child cancer charity, the St. Baldrick’s Foundation.
The firefighters’ fundraising group, known as the ‘FireBalds Team’ were at various locations across Cayman collecting donations that will go towards Hannah Heroes, a local initiative named after young brain cancer survivor Hannah Meeson.
Hannah’s family and supporters have been organising annual sponsored head-shave events since 2013, and have raised more than US$2.6 million, which goes towards funding research into paediatric cancers.
The funds raised over the past nine years have resulted in nine separate research grants being named in honour of Hannah at institutes across the US, including Johns Hopkins, Dana-Farber and Duke University, where researchers are working on life changing treatments and cures funded by the St. Baldrick’s Foundation.
The Big Shave has made it into the foundation’s top 10 fundraisers every year since 2014 amidst hundreds of events around the world and is the charity’s most successful overseas fundraiser.
“The efforts of the Cayman community have been entirely life changing for children and families facing a cancer diagnosis everywhere,” said Gaylene Meeson, Hannah’s mother, in a press release announcing this year’s event.
She added, “Just 50 years ago all kids diagnosed with cancer died. Because of research today about 90% of kids with the most common types of cancer will live but for many other types, progress has been limited and for some there is still little hope for a cure.
“Currently all childhood cancers combined receive only 4% of US federal funding for cancer research so without vital research funded by organizations like St Baldrick’s, Hannah and children like her simply will not survive. All children deserve to grow up and realise their full potential and it’s something that most families take for granted.”
Hannah, now 14, was diagnosed with medulloblastoma, a type of brain cancer, in 2012, when she was just 4 years old. She has been cancer free since April 2014.
This year’s ‘Big Shave’ will be held on Friday, 30 Sept., at The Wicket at Cricket Square.
For more information, click here.
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