Mom shaves head in support of children's cancer research

LAWRENCE, KS (KCTV) - A local mom is shaving her head bald with 45 other mothers to show their support for children's cancer research.

The event is called 46 Mommas Shave for the Brave. The number is symbolic because statistics say that each weekday 46 moms will find out their child has cancer.

The group of 46 mothers involved share one devastating reality – doctors diagnosed each of their kids with cancer.

"On our team we do have a lot of mommas who have lost their children and they are some of the fiercest advocates," Karla Knudson said.

In 2010 in Los Angeles, CA, with a goal to raise $1 million for children's cancer research, the women voluntarily shaved their heads.

"This crowd of people they are all just crying, hooting and hollering and so moved by it," Knudson said.

Knudson braved the shave. She did it because when her daughter Annika was 11 years old, she was diagnosed with Burkitt's lymphoma.

"As much as I didn't understand it then, I now know how close to really death I was when I was sitting in my bed," said Annika Knudson, who is now 17 years old.

Annika Knudson fought cancer with a smile on her face. When chemo caused her to lose her hair, she used the opportunity to try something out of the ordinary with fun and colorful wigs.

Karla Knudson is headed to Boston on June 27 for another shave five years after her first buzz to celebrate one huge milestone – her daughter is celebrating five years of being cancer free.

Annika Knudson says she knows not every mom would be as willing as hers to set style aside twice and lose her locks to raise money for research that could one day cure childhood cancer.

"There is this kind of rebelliousness to it. It's like, 'take that chemotherapy. I don't have to have you to be bald,'" she said.

It's estimated that only four percent of cancer research funding goes toward kid's cancer research. To help fill that funding gap, people can donate to the St. Baldrick's Foundation that sponsors the 46 Mommas Shave for the Brave event that will be held in Boston on July 27 this year.

To donate to Karla Knudson's efforts to raise money for children's cancer research, click here. https://www.stbaldricks.org/particip...ge/667139/2014