Participants Make Bald Statement Saturday Against Kids Cancer

Piper Jourdan is a ballet dancer, a cheerleader and has played in soccer games. She also loves pizza.

But most importantly, the charming, gold-locked 8-year-old girl is a cancer survivor.

"Doesn't every kid deserve the same chance at life?" she said in a soft voice Saturday at the event.

About 200 people attended the fundraiser at 's Merner Fieldhouse to watch as volunteer after volunteer took the stage for a thorough head shaving. Participants raised money for kids' cancer research before they met the hair buzzer fate.

"It's a very small sacrifice to make," said Gwendolin Mah, 23, who got rid of her smooth, long, dark hair after raising $3,008 for St. Baldrick's. "Kids are suffering from the pain of treatments … this is the least I could do to help make that process a little less painful."

About 160,000 children in the world are diagnosed each year with cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. Last year, St. Baldrick's raised more than $22.2 million toward research. So far in 2011, it's raised almost $21.2 million, according to its website. Those values include help from a combined total of 78,865 "shavees," and 1,703 national events. About 10 percent of all participants are women, like Gwendolin.

"Your hair can always grow," she said.

It takes anywhere from six to eight weeks to grow a head of hair again, event coordinators said. They honored a handful of participants Saturday who earned the title of the "Knights of the Bald Table." The knights have taken part in the fundraiser for seven years — meaning they've each spent almost an entire year of their lives bald in support of cancer research.

Among them was Piper's father, Louis Jourdan, 44.

"She would not be here without St. Baldrick's," he said, adding that Piper was diagnosed with a rare form of pediatric cancer at the age of 18 months. "I've raised about $60,000 in my seven years participating."

It's people like Louis who give Evan Garrett, 17, hope. Garrett was diagnosed Dec. 3, 2004 — the day before his 11th birthday — with a rare leukemia.

"Four years ago, there was a 90 percent chance I would not be alive to speak to you tonight," he said, while addressing the crowd at the event. " … I'm happy to say that I just finished my annual review and I'm still cancer free."

He received two stem cell transplants and credits modern day research for his life; research that would not exist if it weren't for organizations like St. Baldrick's.

"Because I'm alive and here tonight, I have a 100 percent chance of thanking you for being here and for your generosity."