"Last April I participated in a fundraiser with the interest group Smiling over Sickness to raise money and awareness for childhood cancer research. This involved me advertising the event over social media; creating a fundraising page on the uOttawa chapter and ultimately getting a free haircut and a freshly shaved head… Every time one of my classmates would comment on how bravely I acted, I would immediately deflect these compliments. It was difficult for me to perceive my actions as brave or courageous in any way. I was a healthy, adult woman who made the decision to shave my head. Compared to children who had little say in their illness, treatment plan and loss their hair due to the toxic side effects of their medication, I had difficult time lumping those two things together. When I saw my (and the 3 other women that decided to shave their heads as well) face in the Ottawa Citizen, I just kept wondering why I didn’t see any of the faces from CHEO instead…As someone uncomfortable with drawing attention to myself, I need to realize that this may be something I need to work on and overcome in order to better serve those I want to advocate for. If the narrative of me doing something brave or seeing my picture in the newspaper opens up a dialogue for childhood cancer research or stem cell donation or where someone can donate, then I need to embrace the attention and direct it towards those who are not privileged enough have a voice that is being heard."
