Cutting Off My Dreadlocks To Raise Money For Cancer In Honor Of My Sister

I'm here to try raise money towards cancer research in honor of the sister I never met, Zélie Patricia Bird. The reason I refer to her as the sister I never met is because leukemia took her at age 9, one year before I was born, almost to the day. The day I came home from the hospital was the first anniversary of her death. Because of this I felt a stigma of not only overshadowing the event but also growing up in her shadow.

I remember being terrified of turning 9 as my childhood logic made me doubtful I would make it. My mother would tell me sad stories from life events. Like when Zélie was 6, she wasn't invited to the birthday party across the street because the chemo took her hair. Or the time she was in the hospital after a few years of remission, it was looking like she would have to stay the night. My mother asked if it was okay to go home to grab Zélies nightgown and doll. Upon returning, she learned the doctor misjudged leading her to miss her daughters death.

My mother always wanted me to be a doctor, because that was Zélies dream from being in the hands of healers for most of her life. Even though I have the touch of a healer, I don't have the focus of a doctor.

August 8th would be Zélies 40th birthday, so as my gift to her I'm going to ignore my Samson complex and cut off my dreads of several years and beard in order to raise what I can for cancer research.

Happy Birthday Zélie <3