For most school kids, the first day of April serves as an invitation for practical jokes, whoopee cushions and other kinds of classroom mischief. But for sixth-grade student at Killarney Heights Primary School Michael Chicktong, tomorrow will mark something else entirely.
Michael has spent the past three years growing his hair out for The World’s Greatest Shave, an event organised by the Leukaemia Foundation to help raise funds for Australian Families facing blood cancer. Tomorrow he will shave it all off, and his hair will be turned into a wig for cancer patients.
Le Courrier Australien sat down with Michael and his mother Kristen to learn more about this inspiring journey, Michael’s own motivations, and how those interested can help out.
So where did your journey begin, and what inspired you?
Three years ago, when I was 9, I was reading a book called “Stories for Boys Who Dare To Be Different,” by Ben Brooks. In it, the main character Christian sees an advert displaying children who suffer from Leukaemia, and decides to grow his hair for three years to support them.
I felt really inspired by Christian’s story, and thought, “I can do the same thing.”
I have received a lot of support from my school throughout this journey. We have collectively just reached our fundraising target of $25,000, and I have personally raised $5500, which I find incredible! A few kids in the lower years have also joined in along the way, with some growing their hair out, and doing an amazing amount of fundraising as well.
What have been the most challenging aspects of this process?
I have had a couple of instances with my long hair where people have mistaken me for a girl, when I’ve just been either just sitting down, or playing soccer… there are also a few people who have told me that I look like a girl and asked, “why don’t you cut your hair?”
I usually just take those situations as opportunities to tell these peoples that I’m growing it out for a while in support of a very worthy cause. I know they really appreciate that I take the time to explain this to them.
What do you ultimately hope to achieve by taking on this challenge?
Besides growing my own hair, I’ve tried to be inspiring others to become involved and to prevent them feeling overwhelmed, and as if any kind of assistance is out of reach. I personally know a few people who have been directly affected by this cause; including a close friend whose sister has been affected by Leukaemia. One of my grandmother’s sisters has also struggled with it for many years so I have felt especially motivated to participate.
Kristen, as a mother, how do you feel about the way members of the younger community have helped out?
There are so many younger kids now that are inspired by the stories of not only Michael, but other students who have been very motivated to participate in this cause. They’ve already begun talking about what they can do, and the fact that these young kids are already out there leading the way… it gives you a whole new perspective of what’s important in life. It’s wonderful that at such a young age they’re already getting behind it.
To finish up, where can those who wish to help out go to offer their support?
You can visit the website https://worldsgreatestshave.com/ to make a donation at any time. On there, you have the option to search up different schools and profiles within them to make direct donations.
There’s also the Leukaemia Foundation, which organises the World’s Greatest Shave. There is a donation facility within this page where you can make direct donations: https://www.leukaemia.org.au/
More information about Michael’s own journey can be found via the following link .
Contribute to Michael’s Donation HERE
“I’m just so happy about what we’ve achieved. It’s such a great thing that we have been able to reach this goal and raise this amount of money along the way.”
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