THON’s annual “No Hair, Don’t Care” fundraiser took over the HUB Monday as dozens of students lined up to have their heads shaved to support THON and pediatric cancer patients.

Students were asked to donate $10 each to get their locks chopped off by a professional hairdresser. Lines moved quickly, laughs were shared, and all was done #FTK.

Although it pales in comparison to THON Weekend, the event was awe-inspiring in and of itself. I was shocked to see so many people gleefully lining up to have their heads shaved, especially considering the bitter cold. Everyone participating knew that this all was done to make a difference, so no complaints about losing hair were heard.

I barely hesitated to jump in line and have my own luscious locks shaved off. In fact, I couldn’t wait to make a difference in the lives of those struggling with something so complex as pediatric cancer.

This wasn’t my first time shaving my head for the “greater good,” though.

My little brother, Andrew, was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in March 2014. He went through bouts of chemotherapy for a few months and, like many pediatric cancer patients, gradually began to lose his hair as time went on.

My family and I eventually took him to a barbershop to get his head shaved and tidy up his appearance. He was understandably nervous to go through with it, so I jumped at the chance to go first and show him that it wasn’t too big of a deal. It put a big smile on his face, and although though he would never admit it, I think it helped him cope with his condition a bit and eventually conquer cancer like a champ a few months later.

Although my brother has been in remission since 2015, I couldn’t pass up another opportunity to make a child’s battle with cancer just a little bit easier. Small efforts like shaving your head can go such a long way to help someone dealing with a disease as dangerous as cancer and hopefully put a smile on their face.

If you feel empowered to help others after reading this story, there are still a few remaining fundraisers this week that will donate funds to THON. We dance in 4!