Three people close to me have had to face the horror of cancer. 

My Aunt made it through a bout of bowel cancer a few years ago.

Gill, one of my oldest and closest friends and my housemate for five years, sadly passed away two years ago.

Another of my closest friends, Matt, is currently finishing up a course of chemotherapy.

Of the people I've known who've had to face cancer two of them, Gill and Matt, were young adults. Facing cancer as a young adult is terrifying. To anyone, a cancer diagnosis is utterly horrendous and having access to the appropriate support networks is hugely important. Many of these support networks are tailored to either children or older adults, leaving many young adults relying on services which aren't designed for their work and lifestyles. I've seen the trauma my friends have suffered. The support provided to them was incredible and I can't imagine someone having to face that alone. Shine Cancer Support does wonderful work providing help and support to young adults with cancer, tailored to their particular lifestyle and needs.

I want to do something in Gill's memory. I want to do something in solidarity with Matt. I want to do what I can to try and make sure no young adult has to face cancer alone.

What Am I Doing?

On Saturday 29th June I'll be lopping all of my hair off in the name of Shine Cancer Support. Yes, you read that right. I've had long hair since 2005. Losing it is a big deal for me. Hopefully it's a big deal for you and the prospect of my shaved noggin is enough to get you to reach into your wallets and support an amazing cause! Plus doing this gets the inevitability of male pattern hair loss out of the way...

To help encourage things if we meet certain targets I'm going to add something to the challenge!

• At £500 I'll make sure before and after photos are shared with everyone!
• At £1,000 I'll live-stream the haircut so you can all watch me suffer.
• At £1,500 I'll do some interim haircuts on my way to baldness. Ever wondered what I'd look like with a quiff? If we reach £1,500 you can find out!

More goals will be added if we somehow reach over £1,500. Before you ask, the beard is staying. No amount of money will change this.

About Shine Cancer Support (www.shinecancersupport.org)

Shine supports adults in their 20s, 30s and 40s who have experienced a cancer diagnosis. Too old for children and teenage services but too young for traditional cancer support, Shine supports the people who fall into a devastating cancer support gap. Young adults with cancer experience higher rates of loneliness, depression and isolation than older patients, and their work and family lives are more likely to be affected.

Shine is working hard to ensure that they can access the information, help and support that they need in a way that suits them, with events including lunches and drinks evenings, beach walks, multi-day getaways, workshops, online networking, and mentoring to empower and boost their confidence living with cancer. By supporting Shine, you’re helping the 30,000 young adults diagnosed with cancer in the UK every year.

Whatever we can raise will help Shine tremendously: even as little as £10 gets another young adult with cancer connected to their local support network, and if we can raise a large amount it can help with training, workshops and building more local networks.

How Else Can I Help?

Spread the word! Please share this page however you can: social media, word of mouth, carrier pigeon etc.

Help Shine in another way! If you want more information or are interested in doing your own challenge their website has a tonne of useful details: www.shinecancersupport.org

Make the challenge more epic! If you have ideas or want to help with this momentous event then contact me.