To the Editor:

My name is AshLynn Hoey, and I am a seventh-grade student at Hollis Brookline Middle School in Hollis. My friend was diagnosed with cancer last year, and it really made a huge impact in my life because it made me aware about how it can affect someone so much.

At my former school, Parkland Middle School, in McHenry, Ill., fundraising for cancer is a big deal, and they do it every year. I am sure that since people in New Hampshire are so caring, they would love to help patients recover from cancer since nearly everyone is touched by cancer in some way. St. Baldrick’s, a childhood cancer research foundation, needs to be more known about in the state of New Hampshire.

Many states and countries around the world participate in St. Baldrick’s each year. It is a volunteer-driven charity, which means that 100 percent of the money that is raised goes directly to St. Baldrick’s to contribute to childhood cancer. There is no reason why New Hampshire should not know about this great cause. A St. Baldrick’s founder states, “Worldwide a child is diagnosed with cancer every three minutes, and one in five children diagnosed in the U.S. will not survive.” (St. Baldrick’s Foundation). Why not help now? Put yourself in a cancer patient’s shoes and feel how he or she would feel.

Since St. Baldrick’s started fundraising in 1999, they raised millions of dollars to help find a less toxic treatment plan for children with cancer. Hundreds of people from a range of ages raise money and shave their heads annually to show support to those who have cancer. I believe that since that many people are participating, why couldn’t everyone? Thirteen-year-old Michael Andrews states, “I can’t stop touching my head, it feels amazing.” Michael and the other thousands of people who participate each year are glad to take part in a journey to stop childhood cancer, with the largest, and most promising cancer research foundation in the world (St. Baldrick’s Foundation).

Have you ever heard of this charity? I would highly appreciate if you would help spread the awareness for this magnificent cause to help save many lives.

Thank you for all of your time.

ASHLYNN HOEY

Hollis