A Milton Keynes woman has shaved her head to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support, a charity that has helped her loved ones in their fight against cancer.
Heidi Udall, 53, shaved her head on Thursday, August 22, to raise funds for Macmillan Cancer Support after her husband, Mark, was diagnosed with cancer for a second time.
Two years ago, Mark had to undergo a liver transplant after being diagnosed with liver cancer. The diagnosis was what originally gave Heidi the idea to shave her head. Heidi went back and forth with the idea but with the care and treatment Mark needed after surgery, she chose not to go ahead with the shave and focus on looking after him.
Earlier this year in May, Mark broke his arm opening a jar of coffee. He went to the hospital for treatment and that was when he was told he had bone cancer. The second diagnosis pushed Hiedi to take on the challenge she had considered two years prior.
Heidi told MKFM, “This was going to be a different route because there is no quick transplant to fix this, there isn’t a quick fix. So, when he got diagnosed again, I thought yeah, let’s just do it.
“The reason we chose 22 August as the date to shave my head is because that’s the two-year anniversary of when Mark got his liver transplant. Although I started planning the shave in May/June, we chose to shave it on a very specific date because it meant something to us.”
When asked why she chose Macmillan Cancer Support, Heidi said, “They have supported my dad on two occasions. He has had Bladder and Oesophageal cancer and had to lose both of those parts of his body. Macmillan has always been there.
“Unfortunately, I lost my aunt to cancer, my dad’s been through it twice. Mark’s dad and one of his sisters have both had to fight cancer, so across the two families, Macmillan has been heavily involved.”
Macmillan offers emotional, practical, physical, and financial support to people living with cancer at any stage of their cancer experience. 98% of the charity is funded by voluntary donations, so fundraising is essential to make sure it can deliver the vital support people living with cancer need.
Heidi told MKFM, “Macmillan is what you can call a one-stop-shop. You go to some charities, and they only do emotional and wellbeing support, whereas Macmillan does the whole lot. They have all those different aspects, so rather than changing every time we get to a different step or level, we don’t have to change who we are dealing with, they can support us all the way through. They are one phone call away and have all the answers rather than having to phone around. It is very personal to us.”
On Thursday, August 22, Heidi went to Blades Barbers in New Bradwell and had Kyle, a barber there, shave her head. Heidi said, “I went to my hairdressers, a lady called Cassie owns Blades and Blades Dolls in New Bradwell, and she agreed to do it for free. It was actually Kyle who did it, so a big shout out to Kyles at Blades Barbers. They fitted me into a slot that worked for me.”
Heidi’s initial fundraising target was £150. By the time of the interview with MKFM (August 28), Heidi had raised £995. Heidi’s ‘on the day’ target was £750 but by the time she took a seat to have her head shaved, she had already reached £835.
When asked what advice she would give to people who have loved ones with cancer, Heidi said, “Don’t think you can do it on your own, I’m very much the kind of person who says “I don’t need support”, but you do, you might not realise it at the time, but you really do need that support as soon as you can get it because they understand more about the paths and journey’s people are about to take. Nothing surprises them, they figure it out so much quicker than you ever could.”
Heidi continued, “Acts like this [head shave] give people a way to start a conversation that they may be too scared to start any other way. So many people don’t want to speak about cancer because it’s not something that happens to them. I have had so many conversations with strangers because of my head and it goes on to spark conversations about charities like Macmillan and how they can support.”
Following Heidi’s conversation with MKFM, Mark Udall sadly lost his fight after developing a chest infection.
Currently, the total for Heidi's fundraiser stands at £1,045. For anybody who knew Mark, or would just like to donate, please visit Heidi's fundraising page.
There are plenty of ways people can support Macmillan. You can donate, get involved in an event, leave a gift in your Will, plus so many other ways.
For more information, please visit the Macmillan Cancer Support website.
