Bald benefactors

Throngs get their heads shaved at St. Baldrick’s Foundation fundraiser for kids with cancer

By RICHARD A. ROSS

LIBERTY, NY — Cancer strikes upwards of 160,000 children each year, disrupting their lives and the lives of their families as they wrangle with the ravages of illness and the emotional and economic hardships that are part of the daunting collateral damage that come with cancer.

But whereas 50 years ago childhood cancer was almost always fatal, with today’s more sophisticated treatment, over three quarters of those stricken survive. For Hodgkins Lymphoma survivors like Sullivan West senior Nick Mootz or SUNY Potsdam freshman music major Ryan Cerullo, the memories of battling illness is still fresh, as is the recollection of how the radiation and chemotherapy treatments rendered them hairless for a time.

Bolstered by the love and support of their families and friends, both young men recovered and their hair grew back. But the experience has brought them to the forefront in the ongoing battle against cancer. For the past three years, both young men have had their heads shaved as part of a St. Baldrick’s fundraiser, a worldwide foundation that supports cooperative research on a national scale to help doctors work together to develop the best treatments for all children of cancer. They were among 35 other shavees who participated in the third annual Sullivan County St. Baldrick’s Foundation fundraiser held at the Liberty Fire House on March 28. This year’s event raised $13,000 dollars, bringing the three-year total to $50,000 dollars.

Organized by Cerullo’s mom Fay, a survivor of thyroid cancer and of the trepidation of seeing her son fall ill just a few months later, the event has grown each year as more and more people, young and old, have come out to donate money and shave their heads. St. Baldrick’s efforts worldwide have raised millions of dollars and involved thousands of shavees and barbers.

Helping in this year’s event were Thunder 102’s Mike Sakell and Paul Ciliberto, along with King of the Trout Lou Monteleone of the Eldred Preserve. A staff of volunteers, along with barbers Erin Allen of Image Beauty and Melanie Polomcean of Beauty Control, leant their assistance. This was Allen’s third year deploying her shears in this event.

Those with very long tresses, such as Liberty High School senior Steven Webber, got to donate their hair to Locks for Love, which uses it for wigs. Webber followed Mootz and Cerullo to the chair and grinned while his shoulder-length locks, which have adorned his head throughout his guitar playing, Shakespearean acting and SCIL endeavors, were soon consigned to a bag and destined to grace some cancer survivor’s head in the not-too-distant future.

Jeanne Sager of The Sullivan County Democrat has been an ardent supporter of the event and for the third straight year, she had her hair shorn to evince her enlistment to the cause.

Other shavees this year include Matt Arielly, Mike Martusa, Dillon and Michale Cerullo, Paul Cilberto, Amy Coney, Adam Donaghy, Joseph Franke, Scott Glasser, Justin and Peter Hare, Michale Hazelnis, Benjamin Kimball, Jacob, and Joseph Kleinberger, Johnny Maxwell, Daniel McConnell, Will McGuire, Ethan Meadow, Roothland Medina, Adalberto Ponce, Christopher and Jonathan Ramirez, Conor and Gary Siegel, Anthony Sinacore, Julian Spina, Jack Strassman, Seth Wegener, James Weiner and team Dibble including mom Terri and her daughter Mariah.

Prior to the shavings, Monteleone presented a plaque to Joe Maxwell for the Liberty Fire House’s donation of their facility to the event. Volunteers included Kathy Garlick, Jeanne Johnson, Daphne Muzuruk, Anna Puleo, Adam, Hallie and Rebecca Ramirez and Emily Sheehan.

Click here for an album of photos.