There will likely be several benefits to having no hair, netballing legend Lauren Moore smiles. There’s the fact that she’ll save money on shampoo.
She won’t need to worry about having ‘beach-hair’ after her regular visits to her local surf spots on the NSW Central Coast. And the time she’ll save in drying her hair will be enormous.
More important though, Lauren says, is the research she will help to fund through having her head shaved, live on Facebook and Instagram, at midday on Friday, 24 April.
“The NSW Swifts have had a long relationship with The Kids’ Cancer Project – over a decade – and they were chatting with us recently about what they do,” Lauren explains.
“They showed us a video and it was incredibly insightful and, to be honest, quite heartbreaking. It showed the journeys of some of the kids and it absolutely broke my heart. I’ve been lucky enough to not have anyone close to me be personally affected by childhood cancer.”
“After that, I had a think about if there’s anything I can do, using the platform of the NSW Swifts, and I decided I wanted to shave my head.”
“It wasn’t a big deal for me – I’ve never cared much about what people look like on the outside. I have always wanted people to like me for the person I am,” says Lauren.
Lauren’s fundraising page has reached over $13,000 at the time of writing, including a generous $2,000 donation from the Swifts’ sponsor QBE.
The event, which will be broadcast live from Lauren’s front yard on the NSW Swifts Facebook and Instagram pages, will obey all social distancing rules. Only a few people will be in attendance, including the local hairdresser who will be armed with a headshaver, a number one comb and a face mask!
How does Lauren expect her life to change once she has lost her locks? As we’re heading into winter, she says, she’s probably going to have to rescue her beanie collection.
“I actually have a lot of beanies,” she says, “but they’re all in Sydney and I’m on the Central Coast. I’ll have to bring them home soon, because I’m going to have a cold head. But I’m really looking forward to not having to wash my hair all the time. I go to the beach a lot and I train a lot, so hair care should suddenly become a lot easier!”
“But mostly I’m hoping to play a small role in changing the lives of others. Childhood cancer is just so cruel. Treatments can be extremely harsh. Over 950 children and adolescents are diagnosed annually in Australia and 350 of them will not make it. It’s so important for us all to help make a difference, to help find treatments that are less harsh on the kids and that improve outcomes. I’m very proud to have been a small part of The Kids’ Cancer Project and their journey.”