FOR the past eight months, 19-year old Cal Blake has gone without a
haircut and today, Wednesday, Cal ‘braves the shave’ and finally get his
hair shaved in memory of his late father Dan with all proceeds raised
going towards cancer charity Macmillan Cancer Support.
Dan, a well-known Fermanagh social worker, was diagnosed with Acute
Myeloid Leukaemia in March 2017 and after a long battle, the father of
three passed away in December last year.
Cal, pictured below, a Queen’s University student, last got his hair cut
in March before the first nationwide ‘lockdown’ due to the COVID-19
Pandemic, and now nearly three quarters of a year later, he decided to
sign up to the ‘Brave the Shave’ campaign with his aim to raise both
awareness and much needed funds to people suffering from cancer.
“I got a fairly short haircut just before the lockdown and I decided to
let it grow over a few months to see what happens.
“Now, it’s gotten really long and people have suggested that I cut it so
I thought if I’m going to cut off so much hair it might as well be for a
good cause.”
“My Dad really was a heroic figure to me. He was a hard-working,
selfless and light-hearted man. He contributed so much to Enniskillen
and Fermanagh and still managed to be so supportive of me and the rest
of the family all the way until the end of his life.”
At the time of going to print, Cal has raised a whopping £1,439 through
his ‘Brave the Shave’ campaign and he is hoping that this initiative not
only raises much needed money, but more importantly, some awareness of
the great work carried out by Macmillan Cancer Support, and another
cancer charity, The Anthony Nolan Foundation, which is very close to the
heart of Cal and his family.
“Macmillan Cancer Support was a huge help for him while he was sick.
They provide people with cancer with much needed physical, emotional and
financial support which is vital now more than ever during this Pandemic
which is hard on everyone but particularly tough for those with cancer.
‘Brave the Shave’ raises over ?4million every year and I’m more than
happy to point people towards such a great cause.”
“I’d also like to implore people to consider registering to the Anthony
Nolan and NHS Stem Cell Registry so that they could potentially save
someone’s life by donating bone marrow. Receiving this sort of donation
can be life-saving for someone who suffers from Leukaemia like my Dad
did. It certainly gave him more time to spend happily with us.”
If you would like to help Cal reach his target of ?1700, you can donate
online by either visiting the official Macmillan Cancer Support Group
website or else by following this link
https://bravetheshave.macmillan.org.uk/shavers/cal-blake.
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