After five years of growing her hair long, Janine Browne is shaving it all off in a bid to raise money for cancer.
The year 1998 marked the first official World’s Greatest Shave event, known as Shave for a Cure, until it was inducted into the Guinness Book of World Records for most heads shaved in 2003, with 1700 brave Aussies parting with their locks, raising $1.85 million for the Leukaemia Foundation.
In its 25th year, joining more than two million participants, Maffra resident Janine Browne will shave off her waist-length curls in one of the country’s longest-running and most iconic fundraisers.
“Apart from the obvious reason, raising money for the Leukemia Foundation, my daughter (Cassandra) did it years ago, when she was 18, and I kept saying I would do it one day,” Ms Browne said.
“So I’ve been purposely growing my hair for the last five years; it’s nearly down to my backside!”
Ms Browne, who serves on the Paynesville Neighbourhood Centre committee, has become a familiar face at the Maffra Neighbourhood House since moving to the area eight months ago, and is also involved with the Briagolong Community House.
Ms Browne will undergo the big shave at 2pm on Thursday, March 16, at the Maffra Neighbourhood House, hoping to raise more than $1000.
“I’m not nervous at all; I’m excited,” she said.
“With the length of my hair, we have to tie it up the top, plat it right to the bottom, then chop just above the first hair tie; then I can send it off to become a wig.
“I’ve always loved helping people; at Paynesville Neighbourhood Centre, our craft ladies, we were doing what was called ‘Knitted Knockers’ for women who had breasts removed because of cancer, so they had something to fill in their bra.
“So yeah, I have always sort of helped people where I can.”
Today, 53 people in Australia will be diagnosed with blood cancer, and 16 people will die from the disease. Blood cancer claiming the lives of more than 5950 people each year.
Unlike many other cancers, blood cancer has no screening programmes, and symptoms can be subtle or similar to other conditions, such as a virus or COVID-19, making it a silent disease that can be difficult to catch.
The Leukaemia Foundation has found that blood cancers combined are the second highest cause of cancer-related deaths in the country, making it one of the nation’s most deadly cancers; one in three Australians diagnosed with blood cancer will not survive five years after their diagnosis.
With the incidence of blood cancer continuing to grow, Leukaemia Foundation chief executive Chris Tanti said we cannot afford to sit by and allow this cancer to increasingly wreak havoc on families across Australia.
“There has never been a more vital time to get behind World’s Greatest Shave and raise much-needed funds to support Australians impacted by blood cancer,” Mr Tanti said.
“By signing up, you are ensuring blood cancer patients have access to the right information, support and care they need to fight the disease, as well as someone to turn to every step of the way.
“More than two million people have sacrificed their hair or donated to someone who has, over the last 25 years. We’ve seen heads shaved in all sorts of places across Australia, including in helicopters, in state parliament, in shearing sheds, while rock climbing; one brave shaver even did it at the top of Mount Everest!”
“The Leukaemia Foundation is on a mission to raise awareness of blood cancer and beat the disease; together with our brave and big-hearted shavers, we believe it is possible to achieve our goal of zero lives lost to blood cancer by 2035.”
“People with blood cancer need us now more than ever, and we can’t delay taking action together. I urge all Australians to join us and make it their mission in 2023 to support the growing number of people diagnosed with blood cancer every day by signing up to World’s Greatest Shave.”
Ms Browne has raised $405 for the Leukaemia Foundation ahead of shave day.
If you would like to donate and help Ms Browne reach her target of $1000 to help beat blood cancer, go to http://my.leukaemiafoundation.org.au/janinebrowne
Alternatively, donations can be made in person at the Maffra Neighbourhood House.
