Winchester/Head shave set to raise £5,000 for Brainstrust
First published January 25th 2007
A RECEPTIONIST is going to hair raising lengths to support a charity which helps people with brain diseases.Tina Hulme has promised to shave her head completely bald if she can raise £5,000 for King’s Somborne-based charity, Brainstrust.
The 28-year-old, who also plans to auction her luxurious black locks after they have been shorn, was inspired to take the big step after hearing about Meg Jones.
Meg’s mother Helen Bulbeck set up Brainstrust after the 21-year-old was diagnosed with a brain tumour when she was 18. Mrs Bulbeck set out to raise £50,000 to send her daughter stateside for pioneering surgery.
In October last year, the charity reached its goal and is now fund-raising to help others with brain tumours and ultimately, set up a centre to carry out the pioneering surgery in the UK.
Mrs Hulme, whose hair will be auctioned to make a wig or extensions for a cancer victim, said she immediately felt like she wanted to help when she read Meg’s story.
Mrs Hulme, who is originally from New York, and works for the Hampshire Chronicle Group, said: “My heart went out to Meg because she has to travel to another country to have life saving surgery when the operation should be more readily available closer to home.
“So here we are raising money to bring it to the UK.” Mrs Hulme, whose friend died of multiple brain tumours when she was in her teens, added that she was not precious about her hair or how she would look after the shave. She added: “I’m a bit nervous about how I’ll look afterwards, but the truth of the
matter is that so many cancer survivors go through some degree of hair loss after treatment. “A lot of the time theirs doesn’t grow back. For me, not having hair for a short while is worth what it will bring in
return.”
If she does not manage to raise £5,000 she will shave her hair into a short pixie cut but will not go completely bald.
Mrs Bulbeck, who was diagnosed with cancer just weeks after finding out she had raised enough money for her daughter’s surgery, has recently lost some of her own hair due to her radiotherapy treatment.
The mum-of-two said: “I’m absolutely amazed by the length people are going to to support the charity and Meg. “For women, their hair is actually a part of their personality, and I’m just delighted that Tina’s doing this.”
Mrs Bulbeck finished her radiotherapy treatment last Friday, and said she is beginning to feel better.
She has also suffered weight loss as well as problems with her mouth and ear, but is now on the road to recovery.
To sponsor Mrs Hulme visit www.justgiving.com/tinahair or visit www.brainstrust.org.uk.
- Laure Downton
