When sophomore KalieHoldren first dyed her hair electric blue a few weeks ago, she got a lot of "strange looks." But once in awhile, someone will ask her why she did it, and she'll get the chance to explain.
"I decided to do it all blue when I realized that I could kind of promote [The Bald and the Beautiful] and also ovarian cancer specifically, after finding out that blue was the awareness color for it."
But come Thursday, Holdren will say goodbye to her unusual hairdo in exchange for another one when she shaves her head to raise money and awareness for cancer research.
Because Holdren had previously dyed her hair natural colors, she was unable to donate her hair. Instead, she decided to dye her hair blue and then shave it to raise awareness for cancer.
Holdren said she was inspired because her mother is a survivor of melanoma, and her uncle and grandfather both passed away from cancer-related causes.
"Cancer is kind of prevalent in my family," she said.
By dyeing and then shaving her hair, Holdren said she hopes to support and be in solidarity with individuals with cancer.
"Having dyed my hair blue kind of gives me the same sense of having something different from everyone else," she said.
"Everyday I kind of have to explain why it's blue. And then when I shave my head, I'm going to have to explain why I won't have hair. In a way, that kind of relates to how people who have cancer [have to explain.]"
Holdren has raised $400 so far and will donate the funds
when she shaves her head Thursday.
"A lot of people ask me if I'm nervous and to be perfectly honest, I'm not really that nervous about it," she said. "I know that it will help people."
Contact Sarah Mervosh at smervosh@nd.edu
