Prince George Citizen Article #2

School’s Students, Staff, Lose Locks to Fight Cancer

Written by Myrissa Krenzler
Citizen Staff
Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Hair was flying Tuesday as more than 40 students, staff and parents at Cedars Christian School shaved their heads or cut eight inches off their hair to show support for Grade 5 student Sam Goertzen.

Hairstylists Linda Rogers, Lisa Reimer, Kristen Huebert, Brenda Roseberry, Laurie Budesheim and Janis Jones spent two hours cutting hair and shaving heads for staff and students as young as five-years-old who took part in Shave for the Brave, a school fundraiser for Sam, who was recently diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

The school has been fundraising for 22 days and raised $10,000 for his family to help with travelling and medical expenses. The goal was $3,000. Sam, who watched the event take place via webcam, addressed the crowd of more than 400. "I can't believe you guys are doing this for me and for my family and I thank you so much. It means a lot to me."

Gerry Goertzen, Sam's father and one of the principals at the school, held back tears as he addressed the school. "We've been overwhelmed by the support and love that this community has given to us," he said. "It's very hard to be on the receiving end of such goodness and grace from people. I don't know why that is but it's hard and it's been really good for our family to sense and know that so many people are behind us."

The school created a thermometer and as donations came in, more people volunteered to shave their heads. Secretary Rose Nichiporuk and Grade 9 student David Robertson were at the top of the thermometer. Robertson came up with the idea for the event and was one of the last people to cut his hair. "I was just in the car and we didn't know if Sam had leukemia, but I said if he did that I would cut my hair," he said.

Nichiporuk said she decided to shave her head to support both Robertson and Sam. "David came up with this idea and I said if he would, I would," she said. "We love Sam so much and we were just devastated that he got sick so we just want to show him support."

Robertson had been growing his hair since Grade 6 and hadn't planned on cutting it until he graduated. It was 14 inches long until he cut the majority of it and donated it to the Canadian Cancer Society. Twelve students donated their locks to the cancer society, including Sam's older sisters Karly, 14, and Katelyn, 16. Both shaved their heads completely as their mother, Debbie, and Sam watched in shock.

"She didn't know that they were going to do that," husband Gerry said. Besides the surprise, Gerry said Sam and Debbie enjoyed watching the entire event.

"They loved it because it showed how much people care about them and the whole community is rallying around them both as they fight this battle together and go on this journey," he said.
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia is a type of cancer that causes the body to produce too many white blood cells. It usually occurs in children between two and five years old. It's the most common type of childhood leukemia and the most successfully treated.