50 good reasons to risk a close shave
26 February 2009
Deb McMurtry turns 50 this year but don’t expect the adventurous community mental health worker to let the milestone slip quietly by.
Instead, Deb is planning a radical change – shaving her long, curly locks to help raise money for the Leukaemia Foundation.
Deb, who works with Hunter New England Health’s Manning Mental Health Service, decided to take on the challenge as a health promotion intiative and is hoping her local community and colleagues will help sponsor her efforts.
Deb will shave her long locks at 3pm on Thursday, 12 March in the courtyard of Manning Rural Referral Hospital.
“I managed to raise $1164 in just four hours of seeking sponsorship,” said Deb, who hopes to raise $5000 in what is touted as the World’s Greatest Shave.
“I am also celebrating my 26th wedding anniversary on March 12, and I’ve told my husband he is getting a new woman.
“Two years ago I decided I was going to do something really radical with my hair for the first time in my life, and I decided I if I was going to do something radical I would do it for a good cause.
“I’m going a No. 4, and that’s pretty radical considering I’m losing a lot,” said Deb, whose hair normally sits below her shoulders, and is waist-length when wet.
She laughs at the thought of it being her mid-life crisis and is buoyed by the support of her husband, Stephen, and her local community.
She won’t be alone in her fundraising efforts. Many are joining the cause, including Australian cricketer Andrew Symonds, who has agreed to part with his trademark dreadlocks.
The World’s Greatest Shave is one of Australia’s biggest fundraising events, with an estimated 100,000 people across the country shaving or colouring their hair.
Money raised will help the Leukaemia Foundation to continue providing practical care and support to patients and families living with leukaemias, lymphomas, myeloma and related blood disorders. It will also fund research into better treatments and hopefully cures.
If you would like to support Deb, you can sponsor her online by visiting www.worldsgreatestshave.com.au (just go to ‘sponsor a shaver’ and input or search for Deb McMurtry).
Contact: Frances Holz
Phone: 4939 2216