Shave in solidarity for cancer research

Kevin Bayne lets his wife Coleen shave his head as a show of support after she survived blood...
Kevin Bayne lets his wife Coleen shave his head as a show of support after she survived blood cancer. Photo: Christine O'Connor
Kevin Bayne wanted to show support for his wife after she survived two battles with blood cancer.

So yesterday he let her shave off all his hair, in public, all for a good cause.

Mr Bayne was among 10 supporters to step forward to have their heads buzzed at the Farmers department store in Dunedin yesterday, as part of the nationwide Shave for a Cure fundraising week.

The event, organised by Leukaemia & Blood Cancer New Zealand, aimed to raise funds to support people living with leukaemia, lymphoma and myeloma, as well as continuing research into blood cancer.

Mr Bayne told the Otago Daily Times his wife had survived two brushes with lymphoma since 2010.

Along the way, she had lost her shoulder-length hair, spent months in hospital and come through 21 cycles of chemotherapy, all with the support of the foundation, he said.

Shaving his own head as a fundraiser was a way to show support for his wife and raise awareness, but also say thank you to the foundation for its support, he said.

"If we can do a little bit to raise awareness of that, that’s what it’s all about," he said.

The national fundraiser ran all year and has so far raised $394,000  and Shave for a Cure events held around the country this week aimed to boost the total, spokeswoman Danae Short said.

The total raised in Dunedin yesterday was not yet known, but was expected to be several hundred dollars, she said.

Most participants had signed up in advance and sought donations before yesterday’s event, but others "just walked in off the street" and joined in at the last minute, she said.

One man, Spencer Peacock, of Dunedin, went in with long hair and a beard cultivated over a year, but was soon reduced to stubble.

Another young woman "shaved literally half her head", Ms Short said.

"She rocked it . . . her partner shaved, and then she said ‘if I get a donation, I’ll do half my head’. Everyone chucked in some money and off she went."

Another woman had shaved her head for the eighth time yesterday, after losing a close friend to blood cancer.

"She does it every year."

Mr Bayne’s effort, in support of his wife, was "a really special moment".

"It was really, really lovely, actually."

chris.morris@odt.co.nz

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