Maffra resident Janine Browne raised more than $1400 for the Leukaemia Foundation by shaving off her waist-length locks at the Maffra Neighbourhood House on Thursday, March 16, as part of the 25th annual World’s Greatest Shave.
Saying goodbye to long, falling hair can be terrifying for some, but Janine couldn’t wait to get her number two cut, raising a total of $1406 for the Leukaemia Foundation following weeks of fundraising.
Maffra Neighbourhood House manager, Leahn Bulmer, sat an excited Janine down, plating her long dark hair before hacking into the thick fibres with scissors at the top tie.
Janine’s mother, partner, friends, and Maffra Neighbourhood House regulars were in attendance, watching on as dark strands gently crumpled to the wooden floor.
Janine went from having waist-length hair to being as bald as you can get without a razor blade in 10 minutes, and she did it all for a good cause.
More than 135,000 people in Australia are currently living with blood cancer or a related blood disorder, with the incidence of blood cancer increasing by 47 per cent in the past ten years alone.
This year, 19,403 Australians will be newly diagnosed with blood cancer, such as leukaemia, lymphoma, or myeloma. That is 53 Australians every day hearing the words, “You have blood cancer”, and by 2035, that number is expected to nearly double.
The Leukaemia Foundation has been fighting to stop blood cancer from wrecking lives since its establishment in 1975. Today, it provides patients and their loved ones personalised information and support from highly trained blood cancer support coordinators alongside a range of health and wellbeing services.
These include helping patients get to and from appointments associated with a blood cancer diagnosis; providing accommodation near major hospitals around Australia; and supplying trusted information to support people in navigating the road ahead – critical education, support groups, booklets, newsletters, and online information.
The Leukaemia Foundation also facilitates a research program that drives rapid advancements in blood cancer treatments, encourages the careers of promising scientists, discovers new diagnostics and novel therapies, and helps give Australians access to global clinical trials.
The World’s Greatest Shave is one of Australia’s longest-running and most well-loved fundraising campaigns. Over the last 25 years, more than two million people have sacrificed their hair or donated to someone who has; Maffra’s Janine Browne has become one of the latest Aussies to chop their locks for cancer.
The World’s Greatest Shave is the single largest source of funds for the Leukaemia Foundation. This year’s goal is to raise $16 million to support the Leukaemia Foundation’s ongoing assistance to blood cancer patients.
Leukaemia Foundation chief executive, Chris Tanti, said the Foundation was 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,” Mr Tanti said.
“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.”
