St. Baldrick's Event Shows Bald is Beautiful

Brayden Garland was just 5 years old in 2008 when he found out his friend, Josh Koneval, was diagnosed with cancer.

While he didn’t understand the gravity of Koneval’s illness, Garland saw how much his friend hurt, especially over losing his hair at just 9 years old. So, Garland shaved his head as a sign of solidarity.

Today Koneval, now 12, a Perry Hall resident who was diagnosed in 2008 with Stage 4 Rhabdomyosarcoma—a form of soft tissue cancer— is disease free. Still, Garland, along with his coach and several teammates from the Stembridge Colts youth football team continue to support their friend.

The group will be just some of the estimated 225 people to shave their heads Sunday to help raise money for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, which assists with funding for pediatric cancer research. Along with the shavees, there will also be several childhood cancer patients and survivors on hand who will be honored for their battle against the disease.

The St. Baldrick’s event is set for 1 p.m. at Martin’s East, located at 9000 Pulaski Highway in Middle River.

Stembridge Colts coach Patrick Pfarr said he couldn’t imagine being anywhere else Sunday. The Colts raised $3,000 last year and have a goal of $5,000 in 2012. They have raised $1,165 through Thursday.

To make a donation to the Stembridge Colts and Cheerleading team, click on the link to their team page here.

“I wanted to be there for my players,” said Pfarr, who lives in Essex. “I’m so proud of Brayden and how he’s been there for his friend. So when he asked me to shave my head I couldn’t say no. It’s for a good cause.”

This is the fourth year for the Middle River shavee event, organized once again by

A Perry Hall resident, Jarkiewicz's support for St. Baldrick’s comes in part because of his 3-year-old daughter’s battle with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH). The disease, treated much like cancer, is a rare blood disorder that affects 1.2 in 1 million children and requires a bone marrow transplant.

Jarkiewicz said the event has gotten bigger every year. In 2009, the event had 79 shavees and raised $37,000 for St. Baldrick’s. had about 200 shavees and raised more than $100,000, Jarkiewicz said.

According to the event’s website —where people can make a donation as well—this year’s fundraiser has already received $107,156 in pledges with a goal of raising $130,000. Among those committed to shaving their head this year are Baltimore County Fire Department Chief John J. Hohman and union head Michael Day.

“The support we’ve received from the community each year has been outstanding,” Jarkiewicz said. “We’re hoping to make this year’s event the biggest one yet.”