MACON, Ga. — Many see losing their hair as a bad sign, but people at Beverly Knight Olson Children's Hospital are telling everyone to 'Go Bald or Go Home' for National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.
At the sixth annual event, volunteers and hospital staff shaved their heads in solidarity with young cancer patients who have lost their hair during treatment.
Some volunteers, like Navicent Pediatrics resident Patricia Tran, have been waiting for "Go Bald or Go Home" to come back around. Tran has been growing her hair out since April 2018.
"I wanted to shave my head last year, but unfortunately, I wasn't able to make it to this event," says Tran. "So I decided I was definitely going to make it this year and I might as well make it worth it."
Tran ended up chopping off twelve inches of hair. Hair donated during the event will be used to make free wigs for young cancer patients.
"I'm from Middle Georgia originally," says Tran. "I have always known that is a tight-knit community that is very open-hearted. Getting to participate in it with them has been one of the highlights of my last year as a resident."
This month, the children's hospital also received approval to be a Children's Oncology Group. The affiliation allows the hospital to provide a wider range of cancer treatments to young patients in Central Georgia.
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