The inspiration behind #MaxCutsHisHair
What a strange two years it has been, huh?
The pandemic treated us all unkindly in one way or another. Six months into it, I was diving deeper into my unhealthy habits than ever before. Overeating, no exercise, disconnecting from family and friends, the whole lot. Unfortunately, the same was true for a lot of people, and that’s nothing to be ashamed of. This continues to be the definition of shitty times, and people need to find their own ways to cope.
But about 15 months ago, I had a few realizations. I’ll share more on that sometime in the future, but that point of reckoning forced me to confront the mother of all “if not now, then when?” moments. I took it upon myself to do everything I could to transform my day-to-day and become a healthier person. I had failed at doing this type of thing dozens of times, but I hoped this would be different.
Well, it was.
Finally Making Progress
15 months on, I’ve hit many of the goals I set out for myself, and I am happy with where I am. I have lost a ton of weight (think three digits) and am in the best shape of my life, a sentence I never thought I would say seriously. I actually ran 11km a couple of weeks ago for the first time. Just typing that amazes me.
I still have more goals to hit, but if it all stopped today, I’d be extremely pleased with the results. Except for one thing. In order to really complete this transformation, something else has got to give.
And that’s how Max Cuts His Hair got started. It’s an idea I had a few months ago, something conjured up as a fun finish line for this journey I’ve been on.
If you know me, you know my long hair. It’s as synonymous to me as raccoons to Toronto; as chicken is to parmesan; as Purell is to the pandemic. I haven’t cut my hair in a meaningful way (I’ve trimmed it a few times) since I was in elementary school, nearly two decades ago.
At the end of February, it’s all getting chopped off. That’s where you come in. I’m going to try and raise money to support breast cancer research, and the more I raise, the more I chop off. If I reach my goal, I get my entire head buzzed.
Why Breast Cancer Research?
First, let me note: I am completely fine. Thanks for any concern, but I’m not shaving my head because of something I’m going through.
However, my family has suffered immensely from cancer, and more specifically, breast cancer. My grandma had it and beat it, twice. My amazingly strong aunt Jen was diagnosed during the pandemic and successfully beat it after a tough fight. And, more recently, my other incredibly strong aunt Karen was diagnosed and is taking that battle on headfirst.
Anyone who has seen a fight with cancer firsthand knows the journey is a brutal one for everyone involved, both physically and mentally. Adjectives like “tough” and descriptors like “battle” don’t come close to doing it justice.
Beyond these close family members, my own mom is also at increased risk of breast cancer, and other family members have suffered too. Of course, millions of others around the world also continue to feel the weight of this brutal disease. If there’s any small thing I can do to raise money and fight it, I want to do it. Even if it means chopping off these locks.
Candidly, this feels like a great time to ditch my hair. I achieved some amazing personal goals that took hard work and wanted to continue altering my looks a bit more; cancer awareness month was approaching, and cancer reared its ugly head more than ever before in my life. So, fuck cancer, and screw my hair if it means raising a few dollars for potentially lifesaving research.
That’s my goal: every $125 I raise, I will shave off an inch of my hair. With 16 inches of hair on my head, once I reach $2000, it’s all gone. I have all of February to hit this goal, so please help me ensure I end the month with barely a hair on my head.
I will livestream my haircut at the end of February and share the link with anyone who wants to see. Please, tell your friends and family about this — the more the merrier, and the more of a guarantee I get my hair cut off. I’ll be kicking things off with a $375 donation of my own, which means I have just over a foot of hair left to go.
Every little bit helps. Thanks for reading, and I’m sure you’ll be seeing me post about this for the next few weeks.
