A young Langley woman who has been cancer-free for four years is calling on the community for help in her ongoing fight against the disease.
Christine Tulloch was diagnosed with leukemia at 19 years old. For the R.E. Mountain graduate, now in her fourth year at Simon Fraser University, one of the more distressing side effects of the illness was the loss of her hair during treatment.
“With the cost of medicines being so high, I could not afford a wig when I lost my hair and that took a tremendous toll on my outlook,” said Tulloch, who is mounting an event to benefit Balding for Dollars — the agency which stepped in an offered her the gift of a wig when she was at her lowest.
“That made all the difference in my fight against cancer,” she said.
“It gave me the confidence to go outside and not worry about people staring. I also found out recently that they had covered a large portion of cost for my medications when I was in treatments.”
The Balding for Dollars event is happening on Wednesday, March 19 from 10 a.m. 4 p.m. on SFU’s main campus on Burnaby Mountain.
This event provides teens, students and adults with the opportunity to step into the shoes of a child going through cancer.
Participants will make the commitment to cut their hair or shave their head at the event and in turn they will collect monetary pledges from their friends, family and community.
“We shave our heads in support of those children who had the choice taken away. We shave our heads together, on that day, to show that we are all in this fight together. No child shall fight this monster alone,” said Tulloch.
All the proceeds raised from this event go directly to the Balding for Dollars organization, which benefits the oncology clinic and ward at B.C. Children’s Hospital.