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JOIN THE A HAIR-RAISING CURE!

The Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR) invite all Queensland hairdressers to join the A Hair Raising Cure campaign this year, commencing 1 May 2006 through to 30 June 2006 to help raise vital funds for adult and children’s cancer.

All that is required is for salons to motivate and encourage their staff and clients/suppliers to raise money for QIMR during the 2 month period, through whatever means possible, and in turn be in the running for some incredible, worth-having rewards.

“Hairdressers are ideal to support this campaign because every week they deal with hundreds of clients that have been touched by cancer in some way,” said QIMR Community Liaison Officer, Sian Millman. “If only 1000 of the 2800 salons in Queensland raised $1,000 we could treat hundreds of cancer patients and get a world-first therapy on the market much faster.”

Cancer destroys lives and is the second biggest killer in Australia. For decades the only treatments have been surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy but now QIMR scientists are on the verge of a brand new non-invasive therapy – one which uses the body’s own immune system to kill the cancer cells.

“Immunotherapy is an experimental treatment which has already saved the lives of people with terminal cancer. We desperately need funds to take this treatment from the bench to the bedside and save more lives now and in the future,” said Ms Millman.

QIMR hopes that salons throughout Queensland will join this campaign and also that their clients will help in anyway possible. “We believe that with community support we can defeat cancer. QIMR has more than 400 scientists fighting cancer in some way, but they simply don’t have the funds to win the battle,” Ms Millman said.

Tiny Ethan Myhre was one of these victims, who was ravaged by cancer at the age of 3 (pictured left) - but for him and his family, medical research provided the miracle they needed and he is now a healthy and happy 7 year old (pictured below). He won his battle, but the war for thousands of others is far from over.

All participating salons will be provided with a full campaign kit, including promotional posters, work station cards and information brochures for their clientele. At the conclusion of the campaign an exclusive thank-you cocktail party will be held at the Hotel Watermark.

This brave little youngster depicts the fighting spirit of a cancer victim. Ethan Myhre, is currently in remission after more than a year-long battle against neuroblastoma, cancer that affects the brain and spinal cord.

Ethan had chemotherapy for more than a year where he experienced the horrendous side effects of the treatment. He lost all the hair on his tiny body, felt sick every waking moment, lost his complete appetite and experienced slight hearing loss.

Currently QIMR are conducting world first experimental immunotherapy trials, to help fight cancer. Immunotherapy trials are non invasive, less traumatic and have minimal side-effects compared to other treatments available that Ethan had to experience.

This immunotherapy treatment involves injections, similar to a vaccination where cancer cells and special immune cells are removed from the patient’s body and taught to recognise and attack specific cancer cells. These immune cells are then reinfused back into the body where they boost the immune system much like a vaccine. This treatment is proving to be extremely effective, with cancer halted, reduced or disappearing entirely on many patients being trialled.

It costs $6000 - $10 000 for one patient to go on this treatment hence, QIMR are desperately seeking donations to ensure hundreds of patients are able to go onto these trials.

Ethan’s parents believe that “QIMR needs to put out their hand for financial support because that is the only way they can continue to operate. As a family, we have pledged our ongoing support to QIMR in any way we can. Regardless of whether you or your family have been directly touched by a life-threatening disease you need to raise your awareness and help them find a cure.”

Last year's A Hair Raising Cure winner - Jak Vaessen, from Jak Hair Concept Salon in Spring Hill and myself. He raised over $15, 000 for QIMR last year through his amazing fundraising escapades. Due to his sterling efforts, he won the trip to London for 5 nights enabling him to attend Hair Expo last October and $1000 worth of Myer vouchers.

In media releases following last years campaign, he continually said "it was absolutely no hassle to raise the money." "We dedicated the day to six of our clients who had actually died in the last three and a half years, since the salon has been open."