PENNY Foudoulis has always had long hair, but soon she’ll be shaving it off for a good cause. 

After two members of her immediate family were diagnosed with Leukaemia, Penny decided it all has to go, and it all will go when she takes part in the World’s Greatest Shave on March 14.

“My hair has never been shorter than my collarbone,” Penny says. 

“Shaving it will be something very different for me.”

Penny says when people go through something like cancer, the people around them can feel quite helpless. She knew she did.

“I feel like raising money for a cause like World’s Greatest Shave is a way that I can show support for the people in my life that are going through this tough journey, and others like them experiencing the same thing,” says Penny, of Isabella Plains. 

After discovering two of her family members have cancer, Penny started researching the type of cancer, which is a blood cancer caused by a rise in the number of white blood cells in the body, and was surprised by what she found. 

Leukaemia is more common than people might think, she says.

There were 4527 Australians diagnosed with Leukaemia in 2020, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Another 1958 people died from the disease in 2019.

Diagnosis can come as quite a surprise, too, Penny says.

The only side effects experienced by Penny’s family members, were feeling “a bit tired” and running out of breath easily.

As of today (January 21), Penny is more than halfway to her donation target of $5000 and to get there has placed QR codes that link to her donation page across her workplace, as well as recruiting her friends to share her campaign on Facebook. 

Penny says the longer strands will be recycled as wigs, through the Leukaemia Foundation, with smaller pieces being used for compost.

“[Leukaemia Foundation] try to use as much of the hair as they can. So, I’ll donate it,” says Penny. 

Donations can be made at Penny’s donation page.