SINGAPORE - Having worked with many cancer patients for seven years as a paramedic, Ms Josephine Kee, 31, felt very strongly about shaving her head to show support for young children with cancer.
"I want to show cancer patients - especially children - that they have our support. They really need our encouragement. They need to know that they are not alone," she said.
Ms Kee was one of 165 ComfortDelGro cabbies who took part in CabbyCare Charity Group's Hair for Hope event on Wednesday (June 8).
She and fellow cabby Kirsty Foo, 56, are the first two female cabbies ever to join ComfortDelGro in this cause. They and other cabbies shaved their heads at the event, held at the Orchid Country Club.
This is the third time ComfortDelgro is taking part in Hair for Hope. Response from cabbies has risen from 60 participants in 2015.
About 50 companies have pledged their support for the Children's Cancer Foundation (CCF) this year. Hair For Hope aims to have 6,500 shavees, and to raise a total of $36 million.
CabbyCare has raised a total of $20,000 with its Hair for Hope event. ComfortDelGro will match the cabbies' contributions dollar for dollar, to make it $40,000 for the CCF.
While some women may find it hard to go bald the two female cabbies were all smiles after their heads were shorn.
"Whatever hair we lose will grow back. But the health of those patients won't get better as easily. This is nothing compared to what the children and the other cancer patients have to go through," said Ms Kee.
Rohan Dhanarajan, 13, a student at Bowen Secondary School, joined the cabbies to show his support, too.
"I cannot imagine someone of my age going through such pain. So going bald for the children with cancer is just my way of supporting them," he said.
Together with his grandfather - cabby Kanapathy Shunmugam, 64 - he has been shaving his head for Hair for Hope for the past seven years.
"When children with cancer lose their hair, it can break their self-confidence. By us shaving our heads it shows them that it's nothing to be ashamed of. It's okay to be bald," said Rohan.
