‘Cuts for Cancer’ tops $3,100 mark

Their heads are a little lighter, but participants in the “Cuts for Cancer” fundraiser in late June have made the purses for the fight against cancer a little heavier with a final tally of $3,166.
That’s $1,166 more than an original goal of $2,000 that Tania Cox started out with months ago after deciding to raise money for cancer research and treatment—an effort that culminated with having all her hair cut off back on June 28.
It was a goal Cox wasn’t even sure was realistic when she started out.
“I just want to thank the community,” she remarked. “The response was amazing. The total numbers that they were willing to give was amazing.”
Of the $3,166 raised, $1,446 will be donated to Riverside Foundation for Health Care while the other $1,720 will be donated to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.
“I had a lot of people anonymously donate $20 and $40 for the ribbon fund,” Cox said. “I mean, $20 for a dollar ribbon? That’s pretty impressive.
“So it was very nice to see them supporting it and reaching in their pockets.”
After the story of her fundraising efforts first appeared in the Fort Frances Times, Cox said strangers were stopping her in places like Safeway to talk and make a donation.
The response was so big that it even inspired 19-year-old Tristan Shumaker to put his own hair up on the chopping block.
“It was just something always in the back of my head that I wanted to do,” said Shumaker. “And this year my hair was long enough to be used in a wig, and I read the article in the paper and I thought, ‘Well, I might as well do it.’”
Time scheduling meant Shumaker couldn’t lose his locks the same day as Cox, but he ended up raising $600 and got the big trim the following day, surrounded by family and friends at Celeste’s Hair Design for Men and Women here.
After having long hair for seven years, he was nervous at first, Shumaker admitted. But now?
“I love it,” he said. “I can’t even picture myself with long hair anymore.”
Cox also is absolutely loving her shorter hair and wishes she had cut it off sooner.
“For the time being, I think I’m going to enjoy it short,” she remarked. “It’s a time-saver that I really didn’t think it was supposed to be, and it’s nice in the summer.”
Cox’s 15-year-old brother, Colin Angus, ended up joining her on the day to get all his hair cut off, as well. The two have been comparing lengths as it grows back.
“It was kind of like an unsaid thing from the beginning, that if she did it, I’d do it,” said Angus, who was used to longer hair and doesn’t plan to cut it again.
“It’s for an amazing cause and it’s only hair. It’ll grow back.”