Come the 18th of March, LACW Jeanette Porter will be turning heads – all for a good cause.
For a second time, the RAAF Amberley Visit Co-Ordinator is partaking in Shave for a Cure.
Cheekily, she said her initial reasoning is for a change of hairstyle but the real reason is to show her support to friends of hers currently battling cancer.
“You watch their battles and there is only so much emotional support you can give,” LACW Porter said.
“Currently, LACW Porter’s hair measures to 46 centremetres long when it’s in a plait. While she is looking forward to once again experimenting with scarves, big earrings and makeup, she recognises that for many cancer patients that losing their hair feels like losing their self confidence.
“One of my friends is on her tenth cycle of chemo and she had her head shaved a wee while ago but to her it was like.. ‘meh, it’s just hair, I’ve got a lot of other stuff to deal with right now..’ but then I’ve got another friend who is in remission at the moment for breast cancer and it affected her greatly when she began losing her hair.
“It’s no easy feat to lose your hair.. for some people it’s their identity, the way they feel attractive and the way they feel strong. For me, this is just a small taste of what cancer sufferers are going through.”
LACW Porter’s colleagues at RAAF Amberley have been nothing but supportive leading up to the shave, trying to come up with different ideas for fundraisers.
“I’ve got the CO’s support for this whole event, and it goes right up to our SADFO and she’s very supportive of it as well.”
Only being in the Air Force for 18 months, LACW Porter isn’t sure what the reaction around Base what will be once her head is shaved. Her role as a Visit Co-Ordinator means she will often be one of the first faces visitors to the Base will see, and she too hopes that she can raise awareness with the public with this interaction.
For those wanting to donate to LACW Porter’s shave, visit the Shave for a Cure page and search for Jeanette Porter.
At the time of writing, LACW Porter had raised 300 dollars with a goal of $2000, so please dig deep to support this worthy cause.
