THUNDER BAY - Women are being challenged to be a little uncomfortable this month by letting their leg hair grow in support of brain cancer research.
The seventh Annual Jan-U-Hairy fundraiser was launched on Thursday at the Canadian Cancer Society Thunder Bay office with a goal of raising more than $7,000 this year.
“It’s extremely uncomfortable because I do like to have shaved legs,” said Nicole Shaw, who has participated in the fundraiser every year since it began. “So it’s hard to be okay with yucky legs. But I will have yucky legs as long as I need to to make a difference.”
Jan-U-Hairy was started by the family Natacha Ruberto, who passed away from brain cancer in December 2012.
Natasha’s mother, Joanne Ruberto, said the idea came about in 2014 when her niece mentioned that men have Movember for prostate cancer, so they should start their own fundraiser.
“I said why don’t we do it for brain cancer research and we will let our leg hair grow and call it Jan-U-Hairy because that is when my daughter’s birthday is,” she said.
In its first year alone, the fundraiser brought in more than $8,000.
“We were aiming for $1,000,” Ruberto said of the first year. “In our last six years, we have raised more than $40,000. We had such a lot of support. We’ve always raised more than $5,000.”
Unfortunately, it was not learned until after Natacha passed away that she had brain cancer and Ruberto said her daughter has not been the only person she has known affected by it.
“Brain cancer hits young people most,” she said. “I have known way too many people who have died from it since my own daughter died in the short time we have been doing this.”
“It was a simple sinus headache. I would tell people if they find something that is happening to them that is unusual other than the norm and if it’s persistent, to get it checked out.”
Women participating will collect pledges to let their leg hair grow throughout the month of January. Men can also participate by collecting pledges throughout the month and then shaving their legs at the end.
Shaw said a little bit of discomfort is worth helping the Ruberto family friend, as well as so many others impacted by brain cancer.
“I think it’s an important cause and I also have the need to raise the heart of the family and bring some joy to the circumstance,” she said. “But also to encourage others to join and to bring joy as well and to make people aware of brain cancer in general. I think this is one way to do it.”
Donations and pledges can be made on the Jan-U-Hairy website or Facebook page.