Three years ago, I had the privilege of caring for the sweetest young lady, diagnosed right before her junior year of high school. She had always been a beautiful dancer, full of joy, and faced her diagnosis with an inspiring attitude and outlook despite the unfair hand she had been dealt.

I cared for her often, so I immediately noticed one night when something felt off. When I asked her what was wrong, she shared that she was becoming very self-conscious about her hair loss. Over the course of six months, her hair began to fall out, and it was taking a toll on her confidence.

That night, I sat with her, listened to her fears, and reassured her that her kindness, patience, and strength were what truly made her beautiful. Her hair would eventually grow back, but her kind soul was never dependent on how much hair she had on her head.

A few hours later, my coworker mentioned that our local St. Baldrick’s event was looking for participants. This event raises funds for childhood cancer research by inviting people to shave their heads. I felt called to act. I could not tell this sweet girl she was beautiful without hair while I still had a full head myself.

The next night, I walked into her room and told her I was going to shave my head and that I wanted her to be the one to do it. After overcoming her initial shock, she agreed. After a month and a half of fundraising, she bravely shaved 13 inches of my hair off. This happened during the same week she was in conditioning for her bone marrow transplant, and I was so proud of her courage.

Being bald opened so many new conversations with patients, moments I do not think would have happened otherwise. Our patients endure so much in their fight against cancer, and if I can give them even the smallest amount of confidence back, I will. I want to show them, with every fiber of my being, that no one fights alone.

Being able to walk with children through their hardest and most vulnerable journey, while also celebrating the big and small moments of joy that come along with it, is a true privilege. I have the best team in the world. They make every bad day a little better, and every good day GREAT.