Breast Cancer Shave-A-Thon Event
Yes, we actually did it! We shaved my head, and I’ve never felt more alive as I do at this moment!
This was truly an incredible moment in my life, and I am so grateful to all of you who helped me turn this difficult moment into something I actually enjoyed doing. It has taught me some very important lessons about turning lemons into lemonade, and how the most challenging moments in this journey are the moments I need to pay special attention to. Each time something arises that seems unconquerable, I will find something I can do, a twist I can use, that makes it a moment to look forward to.
The entire shaving experience took over an hour (although we edited it down to just the highlights for the video), and in that hour, a new person was born. This new character represents the best part of all of us when the chips are down.
She was born when she faced her deepest fears. She was born only when life’s events became more than she thought she could handle. She was born when I couldn’t think of a good reason for this to have happened to me, and I scrambled to find meaning in it all.
I had to face the fact that sometimes bad things happen to good people, and sometimes there isn’t a good reason for it. But since I am a firm believer that EVERYTHING happens for a wise purpose, I needed to find a way for THIS to make sense. I needed to scramble to find a way to “polish that cloud until I create the silver lining”.
It wasn’t easy to find a way to create good from all this. But as I struggled to do exactly that, “She” was born. Her name is Surviva.
Her job is to be the face of breast cancer awareness. It is her mission to spread the word and teach people that all pain can be conquered. All challenges can be met with fierce determination. And above all…ALL things can be viewed from a new perspective, and become a positive experience for each of us.
She is me. She is you. She is all of us. Surviva Lives!
And she was born when all of you joined forces to show breast cancer that it doesn’t stand a chance. She was born from the unity and support you all gave me when I needed it the most.
It is truly amazing what can happen when good people decide to do something special for others, isn’t it? No, I’m not talking about what I did by shaving my head for charity.
I’m talking about a group of amazing people who, when asked to help, dove right in without a moment’s hesitation, and opened their hearts and their wallets to help someone else.
I am absolutely floored by the incredible response we received!
Most of the individuals who were contacted were from the internet business community, and I think this speaks volumes about how unexpected heroes come out of the woodwork when it comes time to truly make a difference.
The Shave-A-Thon went so well, and so many people immediately pitched in, that I needed to figure out how to solve a problem I hadn’t anticipated!
I didn’t plan for what would happen if more than 96 square inches of my scalp was “sold”! Originally, when I decided I was going to go “all out” and use my head shaving experience for the greater good, it didn’t dawn on me that it was possible to raise more than the original $4,800 goal.
But we sold 263 clickable square inches of my head and raised a total of $13,215 for the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade!
We far exceeded our original expectation, and needed to scramble to come up with a way to deal with the “oversale” problem. After all, we promised donors 1 inch of clickable space per $50 donation, and to keep our promise, we needed to find a way to clone my head!
What a wonderful problem to have, and I thank all of you from the bottom of my heart. Err, or is that from the top of my shiny scalp?
So, we figured out how to keep our original promise to our generous sponsors…
Instead of just having one clickable head shot, we’ve decided to clone my head for charity. All our generous sponsors will be featured on this page, and showcased as my heroes for breast cancer awareness.
Here’s the video of the shave-a-thon event…
This video is about 12 minutes long and requires Adobe Flash to view (you should have it already). Click to view the shave-a-thon video…
All Our Generous Heroes
Here’s the list of my heroes in order of donation size, from the topmost first. (Again, thank you so much for your help, even if you simply promoted my event! It means the world to me.)
-
Jeff Dedrick
Internet Marketing Product Launch Secrets - Stephen & Alicia Pierce
Optimize Your Mind for Accelerated Mental Performance - Shawn M. Casey
Internet Marketing - Anonymous Donor ($1,000)
- Anthony Coyne
Copywriter - Yanik and Melissa Silver
Thank You Letter - Wendy Makepeace
Clayton Makepeace, The Total Package - Matt
Marketing Tips - Dr. Kenny Handelman
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder - Paul Tilson Weinberg
Cape Breton Island’s Adventure & Retreat Center - Joel and Mary Comm
Coupon Codes - Lisa R. Preston
Newsletter - Jeff Johnson
Childrens Leukemia - Alice Seba
Moms Talk Network - Matt Bowen
Elliott Wave, Elliott Wave software, Fibonacci, Forex - Peter Stone
You’re Just One Salesletter Away From Wealth - Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero
Conscious Copywriting For A New Era - James E. Haas III
Prophet, Mystic - Dr. Mani
Help Save a Child’s Heart - Wayne Van Dyck
Making Money - Gary Raimo
Ecommerce - Robert Barco
Bean Bag Chairs - Dr. Cindy Brown
Relationships - J.J. Childers
J.J. Childers - Doug Stewart
Naming Your Company - Neil A Shearing
Neil Shearing - Heidi Walter
Nanotechnology Health & Wellness - Raymond Paquette
Bridesmaid Gifts, Pearl Bridal Jewelry, Bridesmaid Jewelry - Lisa Manyon
Lisa Manyon - Kevin Kavanagh
- Norman Sefton
- Mary K Weinhagen
Greeting Cards - Tatiana Velitchkov
All Needs & Wants on Closeout - Andre Chaperon
Andre Chaperon - Shiela Eaton
Breast Cancer Victory Blog - Nina Bryant
Marketing Systems - Carolyn Ash
Integrative Skincare That Works - Joanne Hall
Find Women’s Clothing That Fits - V. Witt
Dog Care - Joseph Ratliff
Copywriter - Janice Campbell
Making Time For Things That Matter - Lisa Uman Crisalle
Nutrition - Kevin Brent Cook
Mental Fitness and Training for Traders - Teri & Bill McCready
Futures Trading - Paul Woodall
All the tools needed to GoGetUm on the web. - Kathleen Gage
Marketing - Tom Heatherington
Log Homes Directory and Information Portal - Lou Schuyler
Copywriter - Michele Pariza Wacek
copywriting, marketing - Richard F. Hill
Disaster Preparedness - Pam McKinnis
Childrens Boutique Clothes - Vera Randall
Website Design - Mark Semple
Be Successful Together - Jeanette Cates
Teleseminars - Ellen Violette
ebook writing - Mila Sidman
Work At Home Mom - Ann White
Rare Book Store And Writer’s Resource For New Authors - Sid Smith
Self-Publish - Monica Villarreal
natural health remedies - Janiss Garza
Exercise and Yoga DVD Reviews - Norman Kraft
Zen Writes, Inc. - Anonymous Donor ($50)
- Anonymous Donor ($50)
- Anonymous Donor ($50)
- Anonymous Donor ($50)
- Charles Switzer
- David Deutsch
- Glen R. Kohlenberg
- Sieglinde Wallis
- Te Hope Hakaraia
- Gill Fernley
- Kerry Goodbrand
The Organizers Of This Event
- Sylvie Fortin
Project Management and Outsourcing Solutions - Michel Fortin
How To Turn More Prospects Into Profits - “DJ” Dave Bernstein
Sound Ideas For Marketing Mastery
And a very special thank you is for a few people who have made this entire experience memorable…
Megan Malette, who was brave enough to shear my hair for me.
George, from Blackburn Barber Shop, who generously donated the equipment, his time, and his expertise.
And there aren’t sufficient words to thank one person who has been there for me, supported me, and made my healing possible…my dear brother, Lou Charrier. Thank you bro! You mean the world to me!
Neil Shearing said on:
October 23, 2006 at 5:03 am
Congratulations on the success of such an inspirational event, Sylvie.
Allison said on:
October 23, 2006 at 9:20 am
Sylvie,
You look positively BEAUTIFUL!!!!! You are truly an inspiration to all of us! We love you
Tatiana Velitchkov said on:
October 23, 2006 at 9:39 am
Sylvie, you are such a star!
You’re beautiful without hair as your
beauty shines through you all over!
Thanks for doing what you’re doing &
we will keep praying for you and keep
you in our hearts!
Tatiana
Shiela said on:
October 23, 2006 at 9:54 am
You look like an ANGEL!!!!
Laloo
Suzan St Maur said on:
October 23, 2006 at 10:10 am
You’re one powerful lady — congratulations on a wonderful achievement!
SUZE
Suzan St Maur said on:
October 23, 2006 at 10:13 am
Sorry, in my previous comment the link to my website (Cancer Comic Strip) was wrong and took you to a bible website instead. This one is correct. And while I’m back here, I’d like to give a warm welcome to Surviva — an example to us all.
SUZE
LaDawn said on:
October 23, 2006 at 12:16 pm
Sylvie you have such charisma! You are absolutely gorgeous without your hair! I can’t wait to see you this week!
Susann said on:
October 23, 2006 at 1:58 pm
You’re absolutely beautiful!
Not many people are able, or willing, to turn hair loss into the event that you have! Raising money for charity, and donating your hair for children is such a selfless act!
You are such an inspiration to so many people! Wear that shaved head in pride!!!
Suz said on:
October 23, 2006 at 2:43 pm
You are absolutely gorgeous without your hair! You’re an inspiration to all women everywhere!
Suz
abdellah said on:
October 23, 2006 at 6:29 pm
Sylvie, congratulation.
“She” is a phoenix, unlimited generosity.
Take care.
Joe S. said on:
October 23, 2006 at 7:34 pm
Sylvie,
Your kindness and selflessness continue to amaze me. What a beautiful lady you are inside and out.
God bless you Sylvie. You are in our prayers.
Nathan Anderson said on:
October 23, 2006 at 8:03 pm
Hey Sylvie!
Where do I go to give money? I guess I missed that URL a bit back…
–Nathan
Sylvie said on:
October 23, 2006 at 8:15 pm
For anyone who wants to continue the trend and donate directly to the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade (my charity of choice), please do feel free to do so from here:
breastcancervictory.com/i…ns-breast-cancer-crusade/
Breast cancer doesn’t just happen in October, and supporting continuing research will go a long way to help fight this on behalf of our daughters and granddaughters.
I know that, for me, fighting this and spreading awareness isn’t about me. It’s about my own daughters. If they ever have to face this in their lives, I want them to be able to have more options than I did.
I am so lucky that the options available to me are far better than those that were available to my ancestors. Even 20 years ago, the prognosis was dismal for women in my situation. Because of the work of so many people back then, raising awareness, fighting for research funding, etc, my own chances are wonderful!
So even though the shaveathon is over, the donations should continue, and we would be happy to continue to provide links to your websites for donations over $50 made directly to the Foundation.
Ron said on:
October 23, 2006 at 9:23 pm
Sylvie and Michel,
As one door closes, another door opens. Your beautiful spirit has already inspired so many and you’ve already “won the victory” because all things work together for good for those who love Him. May the Lord open the windows of Heaven and richly bless you and Michel and all of your family. May His peace be upon you all.
Ron
Dena said on:
October 24, 2006 at 3:51 am
Sylvie,
I came here via the Warriors Forum.
You are a beautiful woman with and without your hair. Inside and out.
I applaud you for your courage and for taking the initiative to use your hardship to help others.
You’re amazing.
May God grant you a full and speedy recovery!!!
Sarah said on:
October 24, 2006 at 6:45 am
Sylvie,
You are an inspiration to us all, to stay so positive, and manage to turn a negative into such a positive. You are beautiful inside and out — keep it up!
Sending you love across the pond,
Sarah
Suni/bulletproofsoul said on:
October 24, 2006 at 10:39 am
I couldn’t bear to watch the actual shaving of the head, but I watched the beginning of the video and saw you afterwards. My sister used to have to get her head shaved for operations on her shunt. My father went bald twice because he was fighting cancer in his lung and in his brain. The memories of all those things and the pain / joy resurfaced when I saw this post.
God bless you in your noble efforts and may He grant you full restoration of health.
Lisa Manyon said on:
October 26, 2006 at 10:25 am
Sylvie,
How touching it is that you have turned a personal struggle into a triumph for breast cancer research and support.
Thank you for being such an inspiration.
Joyce Jagger said on:
October 28, 2006 at 9:25 pm
Sylvie,
Not many women look as great as you with their head shaved. You are so brave to do this and you could not be more beautiful!
I will be thinking of you and praying for you as you undergo your treatments.
Thank you for sharing this video with all of us.
Joyce Jagger
Breast Cancer Victory » My Latest Breast Cancer Heroes said on:
April 8, 2007 at 10:28 pm
[…] Michelle Galvin, Mike Filsaime’s assistant and a good friend of mine, who was inspired by my Shaveathon event to cut off her very long hair and donate it to Locks of Love as well. Here are her before and after […]
I’ve Decided Not To Battle The Cancer » Breast Cancer Survivor's Victory said on:
May 19, 2007 at 4:09 pm
[…] it has inspired me in many ways. You inspired me to do the Shave-A-Thon, which in turn, has inspired others. People have told me that they too have been inspired to do […]
My Latest Breast Cancer Heroes » Breast Cancer Survivor's Victory said on:
May 19, 2007 at 4:10 pm
[…] Michelle Galvin, Mike Filsaime’s assistant and a good friend of mine, who was inspired by my Shaveathon event to cut off her very long hair and donate it to Locks of Love as well. Here are her before and after […]
Chris Perkins said on:
October 12, 2007 at 1:08 pm
Thank you for posting your head shaving online — I am going to shave my head tomorrow and found your site. It has really helped me try to stay positive about doing this — I’ve had one chemo treatment and going to have my second next week. My hair has been falling out in gobs the past few days so it’s time!
You’ve given me the oomph I needed to stay positive and get it done.
Thanks so much,
Chris
melanie said on:
July 5, 2008 at 7:24 pm
I am 29 yrs old and just told I have breast cancer, no family history of this back 3 generations. I saw your film and I am trying to get the courage you had to do something like that ! That was beautiful!
shercyramos said on:
August 24, 2009 at 9:39 am
I love these words, “She was born when she faced her deepest fears. She was born only when life’s events became more than she thought she could handle.” My notion of being born is to have all good and perfect things, but your article changed this. One is born when one injects new perspective and one is able to see things in the positive light.