Medical students at East Carolina University traded their hair for hope last week, marking a decade of fighting pediatric cancer. The tenth annual "Pirates Vs. Cancer" event took over the ECU Health Sciences Campus on April 10th.
The student-led initiative featured everything from professional haircuts and hair donations to bounce houses and raffles. Organized by first-year medical students, the event serves as a vital bridge between future doctors and the families they will one day serve across eastern North Carolina.
For organizers like Sebastian Williams, the mission is personal. A childhood leukemia survivor himself, Williams knows first-hand the toll of treatment. He says the hair donated at the event will be used to make wigs, helping young patients at Maynard Children’s Hospital feel a sense of normalcy during their recovery.
Over the last ten years, the group has raised more than $176,000. With nearly $15,000 already collected this year, they are closing in on a major $200,000 lifetime milestone. Every penny raised goes directly to programs at the James and Connie Maynard Children’s Hospital.
Donations can be made HERE.
