After two bouts of cancer, Helen Mazzer is no stranger to losing her hair, but this time, she's shaved her head to help raise money for cancer research.
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On Saturday, Ms Mazzer had her locks lopped off by Hair Shenanigans' Sarabjeet Kaur, for the World's Greatest Shave to raise funds for the Leukaemia Foundation.
Ms Mazzer suffered from ovarian cancer in 2004, and was later diagnosed with breast cancer in 2019. She said while she was lucky, research was vital to help stop these diseases.
"I'm really lucky I've been able to catch [cancer] early and get good treatment, but I know a lot of people miss out on treatment," she said.
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"So I just wanted to be able to do something to give back to the community."
Despite losing her locks to chemotherapy, which she admitted was "confronting", Ms Mazzer said this time she wasn't nervous of the clippers, and hoped was a show of support to those suffering.
"I know a lot of women would hate the idea of losing their hair," she said.
"Being bald is confronting, but its also not that big of a deal.
"If you go to the hairdresser and get a bad haircut it will grow out, the same if you go and get your head shaved your hair will eventually grow back."
It's the second time Ms Mazzer has lopped off her locks as part of the World's Greatest Shave to support the growing number of Australians diagnosed with blood cancer including leukaemia, lymphoma, myeloma and other related blood disorders.
"I actually did it about 10 years ago after I my first lot of ovarian cancer, and I raised about $800," she said.
"I sort of hadn't thought about it, but since having a second bout of cancer 18 months ago reminded me, and then I saw it on TV and thought 'yep that's what I need to do'".
So far Ms Mazzer has raised $1076, but said she hoped to raise as much as she can to help, as cancer didn't discriminate.
"I've had various relatives, aunties and uncles die from different types of cancers, and the more money that can be raised for research the better, because that's the way to solve it through research," she said.
"With the COVID vaccine, they way that was done so quickly is through money put into research.
"There would be hardly anyone who hasn't lost someone with cancer, everybody is touched by it."
To donate to Ms Mazzer visit her page at www.worldsgreatestshave.com
Zaarkacha Marlan
Court and crime reporter at the Daily Liberal. Formerly the sole journalist for the Nyngan Observer, Narromine News and Trangie Advocate.
Court and crime reporter at the Daily Liberal. Formerly the sole journalist for the Nyngan Observer, Narromine News and Trangie Advocate.
