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Hair today...gone tomorrow

Hair today...gone tomorrow

Friday 07 June 2024

Hair today...gone tomorrow

Friday 07 June 2024


Six people will be shaving their heads, cutting their hair, or getting their chests waxed this weekend - as part of a hair-raising (losing?!) fundraising mission for two local good causes.

Becky Allez sparked the lot when she decided to shave her head to raise money for The Pink Ladies.

The charity has supported her friend, Krista Doggett since she was diagnosed with stage 3 triple positive breast cancer a year ago.

Krista wanted to share the money raised with her cousin Connor Bayes - to go towards his ongoing rehabilitation from a spinal injury. To show his gratitude and support, Connor has also decided to shave his head.

Krista and Becky's daughters will be cutting their hair, while their husbands will suffer the pain of having their chests' waxed in exchange for donation. 

The money raised from their combined hair-loss efforts will be split equally between The Pink Ladies, and Conor Bayes' rehabilitation fund.

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Pictured: You can sponsor the joint fundraiser HERE. 

Krista's story

Krista Doggett was diagnosed with stage 3 triple positive breast cancer a year ago.

Since then she has been undergoing gruelling chemotherapy sessions which have left her unwell.

"I started treatment a year ago, and I had six rounds of chemotherapy," she explained. "I was quite unwell after hospital with infections and all sorts, so I had to lower my dosage, but I managed to have all six sessions, and it shrunk the tumour in half, which was good so it had a good response.

"I had a lumpectomy in November, but when they took the cancer out, it was still active, it was still live if you like, and it had an extra tumour growing with it and that had a bit of negative cancer cell in it. So I am triple positive, but I still got a little bit negative, which is unusual, so I'm now having a different drug which has actually only been out about three years and I'm having 14 rounds of that."

This treatment is "very hard" said Krista.

"I'm really lucky to have such close friends and family, like my friend Becky, who's doing the head shave. She is my daughter Harper's godmother as well. She's been amazing helping out with school pickups, for example. I've had other friends helping out too, like one of (elder daughter) Brooke's school friend's mum takes her every Thursday for gymnastics and then takes her home for her tea, then brings her home. People have been amazing. My mum does all our washing, and my sister's a nurse so she's been really great at coming to appointments with me and she might think of questions that I'd never think of asking, so that's been a great help."

As well as her friends, Krista said The Pink Ladies have been a huge help to her and her family too.

"Becky approached me and last year and said, 'because we've been friends since we were at primary school, I'd really like to do something to be able to raise money for them, so how would you feel if I wanted to do a head shave?'

"I was quite taken aback and I was like, 'are you sure?' because I don't know if I'd be able to do it if the tables were turned. My hair was my identity so when I had to shave my head, it was a massive deal. For someone to want to do that for me to raise awareness and raise money, I was completely taken aback and gobsmacked."

Connor's story

Connor Bayes' has previously shared his story with Express directly through a series of interviews conducted during 2022 and 2023, after he suffered a life changing accident. 

In 2021, he was left paralysed from the chest down after falling from 15ft.

“I was walking home after a night out in town with my friends and was very close to home when I fell over a wall further up from Frossard House towards Jeffrey’s,” Connor told Express previously.

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Pictured: Connor's story has been shared with Express readers previously.

Connor has received treatment in Guernsey and the UK, including at Southampton hospital initially and later at a private treatment centre called Hobbs Rehabilitation.

He is now living back in Guernsey, but has 24 hour care, and he also hopes to have further rehabilitation treatment in England.

"I know Conor is still trying to raise money for his spinal rehabilitation, so I said to him I'd like to donate half to The Pink Ladies and half to you, and he said, 'well, if you're doing that, I feel like I need to get involved' and so he's going to shave his head too," explained Krista, who is Connor's cousin. 

"Although it's a guy doing it, Connor's hair is the one thing he still does religiously. Every few weeks he has his hair cut, so for him it will be quite a big difference (to shave his head)."

Krista said Connor is doing well but he still has a long way to go on his rehabilitation.

"He has a carer 24/7 and he still hasn't got much mobility, and he'd still like to get more strength. I know he's got a gym, but obviously he needed specialised equipment and things for that, and obviously, that doesn't come cheap. It's all thousands of pounds, for one piece of equipment.

"I don't know if he's looking to go away again for some more spinal rehabilitation work but that all comes at a cost too so I thought if I could give back to him, it would help him as well."

The fundraising event

Becky Allez has organised tomorrow's event - with a raffle, refreshments and bouncy castle at Rovers' football club - with the hair cuts, chest waxing and head shaves all arranged around the club's weekly meat draw. 

Krista said she's been left gobsmacked again by how generous businesses have been in donating money, raffle prizes, and even hotdogs.

"She's (Becky) organised it all. And then we both went out to businesses across the island and were gobsmacked at how generous people are. Companies we went to that couldn't offer a prize have donated a voucher for somewhere else, so we've got a £100 Aurigny voucher, £100 Condor voucher, £100 and £50 Blue Diamond voucher that my work kindly did for us and Milton Produce and Manor Farm Foods are donating hot dogs, rolls, onions, serviettes, and all the sauces so that we can sell hot dogs on the day too."

A friend of Becky and Krista's has paid for a bouncy castle for free use by any children too. 

The event will start at around 17:00 at Rovers' at Port Soif with Brooke Marie Doggett; aged 8, and Emilia Allez; aged 7, having their hair cut first.

Following them, Adrian Doggett and Jason Allez will be having their chests waved.

After the Rovers' meat draw Connor and Becky will be having their heads shaved.

Raffle tickets and hot dogs can be bought during the afternoon and evening, while donations can be made in person at Rovers or via JustGiving HERE.

READ MORE...

Connor Bayes: Rebuilding a life

It's not about what I've lost, it's about what I've still got

“It's all hit me now and it's a bit daunting”

20th anniversary of Pink Ladies celebrated with annual sunset walk

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