Yahoo Movies Why Sam Hull's 6th Shave for the Brave for cancer charity was a deeply personal one
When the buzzing razor zipped through Sam Hull's brown hair at his home in St. John's on Saturday, it was a meaningful moment for the 13-year-old.
It was his sixth year in a row participating in the Shave for the Brave, but this time it had an extra personal meaning.
Hull's dad, Rob, was supposed to be by his side taking part in the Young Adult Cancer Canada (YACC) fundraiser, but Rob passed away from a rare and aggressive bowel cancer in February, before the pair were able to shave their heads together.
"I did this year for him and it was really special," Hull said, who raised more than $10,000 for the fundraiser to support YACC's programming.
Hull was just six years old when he did his first Shave for the Brave for his grandmother, who has survived cancer twice.
"I started doing it for my nan who got breast cancer when she was 40, and that was the main reason why I was doing it. And then my dad got cancer in 2019, so then it got more important," he said.
Hull's family from across the province and country tuned in to his virtual shave over Zoom and cheered him on as they watched.
Sam's mom Ellissa, who did the honour of buzzing off his hair, called her son inspirational for his continued commitment to the fundraiser year after year.
"When you're six and you shave your head, it's not a big deal. But when you're in Grade 7, it's a bigger deal. So I'm really, really proud of him," she said.
"I think it shows great leadership on his part."
Challenging time
Young Adult Cancer Canada founder Geoff Eaton says the pandemic has hit their charity hard, especially since they normally offer face-to-face support groups, conferences, social programs and retreats for young people with cancer.
But Eaton says they've adapted, and on Saturday and Sunday, they have 900 people with cancer and their caretakers involved in a virtual summit called Primetown, to help them learn how to cope with cancer while in the prime of their lives.
Shave for the Brave is the organization's biggest fundraiser and normally it takes place at events across the province, in schools, office buildings, hockey rinks and malls. But since the pandemic began, he said people have been shaving solo or in their bubbles, instead.
"Honestly, none of this is possible without shavers like Sam and and other partners in the community. We're just so grateful for the support we receive," he said.
On the fundraising front, Eaton said there's still work to do, since they've only reached $180,000 of their $230,000 fundraising goal this year.
"We're rolling with it and trying to find the opportunities in this crisis. It is a challenging time for sure," Eaton said.
In the meantime, Eaton calls Hull's fundraising efforts incredible, and says the world needs more people like him, to lead by example.
"It's just an incredibly powerful thing that Sam is doing to honour his dad and to continue what is an incredible legacy for a young guy, helping other people in our community."
