Damien Whyte shaved his head on Monday as a part of the Leukaemia Foundation’s annual World’s Greatest Shave.
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Surrounded by his St Mary’s Primary School classmates, his mother Kerrie and teachers, 11-year-old Damien surrendered his long locks to Echuca’s High St Barber, Rick Wilcock.
“What inspired me to do this is how there are people around the world suffering from blood cancer and shaving off my hair can help them make a wig as well as raise money to assist,” Damien said.
Damien said he had been growing his hair for about two years before the big shave as he was trying to get it to about 20cm in length as that was what was required for wigs.
World’s Greatest Shave — originally named “Shave for a Cure” — began following a successful event organised by a family on the NSW north coast town of Lismore.
Eric Graydon was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) and needed to relocate for emergency treatment.
His family decided to do something BIG to raise funds and awareness for those suffering from leukaemia — they challenged the Leukaemia Foundation to come together and shave the greatest number of heads in 24 hours.
Word got out to the media, and nobody could have foreseen what happened next.
The results? $80,000 raised, and 200 heads shaved.
And just like that, World’s Greatest Shave was born.
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