Long Beach Boy to Shave Head for Sister With Cancer

In honor of his sister who is being treated for cancer, a Belmont Shore 12-year-old will shave his head Saturday, aiming to raise $10,000 for childhood cancer research.

Max Magilnick of Long Beach will join others at the Los Angeles Fire Department Station 89 in North Hollywood to shave his head and raise money for the St. Baldrick's Foundation, a leading childhood cancer charity.

"I'm going to do something pretty extreme," Max wrote in his donation request letter. "With my bald head, I will stand in solidarity with kids being treated for cancer, like my big sister."

Magilnick's older sister, Emily, 17, also of Belmont Shore, has been diagnosed with a type of cancerous bone tumor in her right tibia between her knee and ankle and continues to undergo treatment.

To help fund research for the volunteer-driven organization in honor of Emily, and infants and other children with cancer, Max asks only "please donate on my head.

"To see my donor names, fundraising progress, before and after photos, and - most important - the kid I’m doingthis for, my big sister, Emily, please visit my page on the St. Baldrick’s website: http://www.stbaldricks.org/participants/mypage/580103/2013. I am so proud that my big sister Emily is representing the St. Baldricks Foundation as a 2013 Ambassador."

According to her page on CaringBridge, Emily's treatment – which includes chemotherapy and surgery – will take about a year to complete. Doctors say her prognosis is good.

As of Thursday, Max Magilnick has raised more than $8,200 of his overall $10,000 goal in honor of his sister, and he is reaching out to the public for donations to help him hit his target.

"Max hit a marker tonight," his mother, June Magilnick, reported Thursday night.  "Since Emily’s diagnosis in December, 2011, he has raised $30,000.00 for the St. Baldrick’s Foudation!" 

 For those wishing to help Max reach his goal, donations can be made on his St. Baldrick's fundraising page. Donations can be made anonymously if desired.

According to their website, the St. Baldrick's Foundation is the nation's biggest giver of grants for childhood cancer research behind the federal government. In 2012 alone, the foundation granted more than $23 million for research. Almost all of that money came from the more than 31,000 volunteers like Max who shaved their head for the charity.

--Nancy Wride contributed to this story