Adam Prudhomme
Editor
Stone Mills fire fighters will be paring down their hair on May 30 to raise money to help one of their own battle cancer.
Proceeds will go to Shae-Lynn Way, a 22-year-old from Tamworth who was diagnosed with cancer in March.
Her father, David Way, is captain of the Stone Mills Fire Department in Tamworth. When his fellow firefighters heard the news, they immediately got the idea together for an event and dubbed it Shave It For Shae.
“When one’s battling, we like to step up and help out,” said Kylie Hinch, a Stone Mills fire fighter who organized the event. “There were some other boys in Napanee that had shaved their head in support of her to make her feel good, so I took it from there and said we’ll call it Shave It For Shae.”
After 43 days of treatment, Way recently returned home to Tamworth where she was greeted by friends and family cheering her on as she drove through the village. There is still a long road ahead in her treatment, which will require frequent trips to Ottawa for bone marrow.
“There’s going to be a lot of expenses and we’re just trying to help one another out,” said Hinch.
Because of physical distancing protocols, the actual shaving will be done at Tamworth, Enterprise, Newburgh and Yarker stations with plans to broadcast the event via Zoom through social media. Along with raising money, the event is also seen as a gesture to show the Way family the community is behind them.
“We’re going to be shaving our heads, a couple of firefighters will be shaving their moustache, one is Cpt. Pete Hayes, he’s had a moustache for 40 years and he’s volunteered to shave it off,” added Hinch.
Donations can be made through ShaveItForShae@gmail.com.
“If I raise $20, then that’s $20 to help them out,” said Hinch. “We didn’t really want to set a goal, we just thought it’d be a good way to help out one another.”