By ALANA MITCHELSON
A Highton woman will cut off her long, blonde hair to celebrate her grandmother’s 10th year in remission from leukaemia.
Now 20, but just a child when Barbara Baak’s cancer was diagnosed, Ali Gerischer aims to raise $20,000 for patient support services and research.
Ali has previously coloured her hair and supported other family members during their shaves but considered the timing was right to make her own hairy sacrifice.
The annual World’s Greatest Shave runs from 10 to 13 March but Ali will lose her hair on 2 May.
“It just made sense since both my grandma and I are celebrating big milestone’s this year – I’m turning 21 and she’ll be 10 years in remission in May.
“I won’t be doing anything else for my 21st, the shave is the way I’ll be celebrating. We’re very close.
“My hair’s always been really long so it’s going to be a massive change but it’s worth it. It’s an awesome cause and I hope it can raise awareness for people to get behind it.”
Ali recalled visiting her grandmother in hospital during the cancer scare.
“I remember being really scared. My mum and aunty actually donated bone marrow and I remember seeing how physically painful that procedure was for them.
“My grandma wasn’t supposed to make it. It was obviously a really hard time.”
About 34 Australians are diagnosed with leukaemia, lymphoma or myeloma daily, or more than 12,000 each year.
About 3000 will be diagnosed this year in Victoria alone.
Leukaemia Foundation’s Stephanie Hechenberger said the World’s Greatest Shave helped fund life-saving research and “the emotional and practical support (families) need, free of charge”.
“When you’re healthy it’s hard to understand the value of counselling, transport to and from chemotherapy, or being given a free place to stay during treatment if you come from the country.
“But this support matters when you’re too sick to work and financial and emotional stress levels are high.”
Ali said she was accepting sponsorships and donations at tiny.cc/aligerischer.
