'It's not just her journey, it's our journey': Moms go bald to help kids beat cancer
Jerusalem Kahsay's daughter Sara was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer when she was two-years-old. Now five, Sara helped to shave her mom's head on Tuesday for the inaugural Mom Shave Event for Childhood Cancer Canada.
"I want people to know what it means to have childhood cancer," said Kahsay.
"My daughter had to be bald for three years so this is nothing," she continued, just minutes after her long locks hit the floor of a downtown Toronto fitness studio.
According to Childhood Cancer Canada only four per cent of cancer research funding goes to help children. Kahsay, who has seen many of her daughter's friends lose their fight with cancer, raised close to $2000 as part of the #MomSquad, a sisterhood of about 10 moms.
Kahsay said her daughter was excited to help her shave her head at first, but started to cry once she saw that she was bald.
"She said 'Mommy, I don't like it ... it reminded me of what I went through."
But she hopes ultimately it will help her daughter understand how much support she has in her battle.
Kathleen Arbour, whose five-year-old daughter Adrienne was diagnosed with leukemia last year, wanted to be around other moms who knew what she has been going through.
"Having a child who is constantly in the hospital getting poked with needles ... you have to turn your brain off and not be their mom while they're crying," said Arbour.
"That's why it's so helpful to be around people who get it without even a word."
For Arbour, the event was not about her hair, or lack of it. She said she wants her daughter to see that her mom will always stand beside her.
"It's not just her journey, it's our journey," Arbour said.
With half of her daughter's chemotherapy schedule still to go, Arbour said she is gaining strength through shaving her head with the other moms.
"I thought, yeah, I got this."
Correction : In a previous version of this story attributed the quote "It's not just her journey, it's our journey," to Jerusalem Kahsay. In fact, that was said by Kathleen Arbour.(Jun 28, 2017 10:34 AM)
