Bald, Bold and Personal

05/26/2011 1:28 PM

What drove a freshman nursing major to let her 12-year-old brother shave her head completely bald?

As part of a new Bradley tradition, students raised money for cancer research with a St. Baldrick’s Day event called “Shaving the Way to Conquer Kids’ Cancer.” Unlike the other students who fundraised, Brittany Weber’s story has an very personal twist; her brother has leukemia, a form of cancer. Her passion helped the freshman nursing major from St. Charles, MO raise $12,000 for Bradley’s fourth annual event.

Brittany’s brother Brett is in remission, and Brittany said her experience without hair showed her what life is like when people assume she has cancer. “A lot of people look at me with sympathy in their eyes,” she said, noting that some will ask her if she shaved her head for a cause. “When that happens, I get to share my story!”

The St. Baldrick’s Foundation is a volunteer-driven organization that four-year participant Matt Stein of Fishers, IN says offers amazing support for cancer patients. “It draws a lot of attention to the cause foremost, and it’s a lot of fun to watch, too” Stein said, noting that more than 200 Bradley students attended the hair-shearing, and that several made t-shirts in support of Brittany Weber.
 
“The Bradley community has been unbelievably supportive,” Weber said. “I honestly don’t think I would have had the courage to do this without them by my side. At least once every day from the day I signed up, I have met a new person telling me how amazing and courageous what I was doing was. It has definitely boosted my confidence rocking the bald head!”