Jesse Dudley loves his bright orange hair, but he is about to say goodbye to it – all for a good cause.
The 9-year-old will shave his hair off next week to raise money for those with blood cancer, and while he jokes that it may be an excuse to not have to have a haircut for a while, being brave is no laughing matter.
Jesse was spurred by a poster in the window of his local Stoke dairy, and further research revealed to him that leukaemia is the most common cancer in children, so he knew he could help.
“He asked his mum what it was about, and then a couple of days later he just said ‘I’ll do that’,” says his father Reuben.
Jesse joins more than 1000 others across the country who are already sporting new hairstyles as part of Shave for a Cure – an initiative that helps fund life-saving research and delivers care for people living with blood cancer.
Even breaking his collarbone while on a bike ride with his family couldn’t deter him from the goal.
Jesse has been making videos with facts he has learnt about leukaemia, which his parents have been sharing to social media to encourage donations. His Nayland Primary School have also been in full support.
He reckons, when it comes time to the shave, he’s just going to keep making his hair “look weird” until it’s all gone.
That may or may not include spiking the middle into a mohawk or shaving the top before the sides, he says.
To donate to Jesse visit shaveforacure.co.nz/fundraisers/jessedudley
