Jamie Evreniadis

A St. Baldrick’s head shaving in memory of the late Jamie Evreniadis will take place from noon to 2 p.m. today at Nate’s Barbershop in Murfreesboro.

The barbershop is located at located at 1670 Memorial Blvd.

At least a half dozen men will be getting their heads shaved in honor of a little guy who lost his battle with cancer, in hopes that other children will be saved.

Money raised during Shaving for Jamie will go to the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, an organization that funds pediatric cancer research.

Jamie was diagnosed with neuroblastoma in January 2006, and passed away just a few months later, at the age of 3, on April 24, 2006.

“I wasn’t able to help my son,” said Jamie’s mother, Becky. “There was nothing I could do – it was too late. So, my goal is to help the next child so that another mother won’t have to feel the pain that I go through every day.”

The goal of the event is to raise just $300 – the family decided to set the goal low because of it being Christmastime, but already more than twice that has been raised.

“We haven’t raised as much as we would have liked, but we have raised a good amount,” Becky said.

The public is invited to come out and watch the men get their heads shaved, donate to the cause, or even get their heads shaved in support of pediatric cancer research.

Nathan Thompson, who owns the shop, has agreed to donate any proceeds made from haircuts during that time as well.

“I feel that if more people were involved, there would be a greater chance of helping the next child,” Becky said.

This is the second year the family has participated in a St. Baldrick’s event.

Becky was involved in one last year in which 46 moms flew from all over the country to meet in Los Angeles to get their heads shaved.

The 46 is important because that is how many children are diagnosed with cancer every day, Becky said.

“We need a treatment made just for the children,” said Becky, who went on to explain that most cancer treatments are designed for adults, and children have difficulty surviving the treatment.

“And a lot of times, if it doesn’t kill them, it causes long-term side effects,” she said. “I chose St. Baldrick’s as my cancer charity because all of their funding goes to pediatric cancer research, so St. Baldrick’s was my choice for the future.”

The family plans to organize a St. Baldrick’s event at least once a year from here on out.

For those who can’t attend the event today, a donation can be made in Jamie’s honor online, at stbaldricks.org.

The first St. Baldrick’s event to be held locally, Bald in the Boro, raised $46,000 on March 11, according to the organization’s website.