LAST Sunday, Steve Parkin’s five-year-old granddaughter Charlotte was placed in a five-month lockdown in the Royal Children’s Hospital in Brisbane to undergo treatment for leukaemia.
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Charlotte was just three years old when she was diagnosed with the disease.
In the past two and a half years she has undergone countless blood transfusions and chemotherapy treatments.
After two years of treatment doctors were about to give Charlotte and her parents the all clear when they discovered leukaemia cells in her spine.
It was a devastating blow for the family.
Steve, who owns and manages the King St Motel, says his granddaughter’s fight against cancer has inspired him to do what he can to help other sufferers of the disease.
He is hoping to raise more than $1000 for The Leukaemia Foundation as part of this year’s World’s Greatest Shave.
The World’s Greatest Shave, held from March 13 to 16, aims to raise more than $6.5 million for blood cancer research and support in 2014.
Steve has decided to shave off his goatee for the event.
“I’ve been growing it for about five years now,” Steve said.
“Someone asked me about 18 months ago why I’d kept it growing so long and I told them I was doing it for a specific
reason.
“If I could get enough money for it I was hoping to do the World’s Greatest Shave.”
Steve said he has already received several pledges of support to shave off the goatee, despite his wife Ruth’s pleas to keep it.
“About 10 years ago I had a full head of hair and I went away to the Gold Coast with a bunch of mates,” he said.
“They convinced me to shave my head as part of Shave for a Cure and when I got home Ruth loved the bald look so I’ve kept it ever since.
“I decided to grow the goatee to make up for the lack of hair on my head, now Ruth loves it as well, but I’ve told her I can always grow it back.”
Tomorrow, Steve will set up a table on Church St where he hopes to encourage Gloucester residents to support his efforts for the World’s Greatest Shave.
If he can raise enough money he is hoping to have a public shave off sometime next week.
To offer your support to Steve, contact him on 6558 9020.