Mom opts to go bald in fight for childhood cancer research

By STEPHANIE PORTER-NICHOLS/Staff

The rust-colored dinosaur pencil topper came out of a box of Cheerios. Today, that promotional toy is a symbol of a mother’s undying love.
From the animated movie Ice Age, it was love at first sight for Marissa Shuler, who carried the tiny dinosaur everywhere. Her mom, Brittany, said when Marissa crawled, she would hear one hand hit the floor hard, and then the rubber of the toy clutched in tiny fingertips would ease the other hand’s impact.
A year ago, when Brittany was choosing toys to go in Marissa’s coffin, she kept the dinosaur, turning it into a pendant that stays next to her heart.
She’ll be wearing that pendant Friday, Sept. 10, a year from the day she and her husband, Jared, buried their 13-month-old daughter, a life snatched away in a matter of months by cancer.
These 365 days later, grief’s darkness isn’t far from Brittany. Tears come easily as she remembers Sept. 6, the day she told Marissa it was OK to die. “I never want another mom to have to do that,” she declared last week as she prepared to take action that will be seen around the globe Friday.
This week, Brittany joined 45 other mommas to make a visual statement about the need to support childhood cancer research. These 46 mothers are going to shave off their hair and then appear on Stand Up 2 Cancer, a live television fund-raising event that will air on all the major networks and many cable channels this Friday, Sept. 10, at 8 p.m.
For the mothers, 46 is a number with meaning. Every weekday, 46 parents in this country learn their child has been diagnosed with cancer.
The shaving event was scheduled to take place yesterday. Brittany said her long blonde hair would be put into a ponytail so that hair can be cut and contributed to Locks of Love, an organization making wigs for people who lose their hair to disease.
Brittany was anxious about being away from home on the anniversary of Marissa’s death, an angel anniversary she said the mothers call them. Her mother promised to put special flowers on the grave. Brittany was nervous about not being able to visit her daughter’s grave for a week; she goes there most days. She was worried and excited about her first plane ride, taking her to Los Angeles.
Brittany, however, was not fearful about shaving her head. “I’m excited to get my head shaved,” she said with no hesitation. She noted that Marissa and other children with cancer have no choice about losing their hair.
Always wearing her hair long, Brittany said she often wanted to cut it, but didn’t have the guts. She found the courage to shave it all off when another mother told her about the effort, but said she wasn’t brave enough. Brittany admitted she wasn’t sure at first, but then said, “It’s just hair. It will grow back.”
Brittany’s grateful to the mother who began the project: Tiffany Beamer, whose daughter Miranda was diagnosed with cancer on Sept. 6, 2007. “I wanted to make a difference for the parents who lost their children to cancer,” said Tiffany. “I just could not find the proper avenue.”
That avenue came in the summer of 2009, when she saw a story about Tara Wheeler, the reigning Miss Virginia, who planned to shave her head for childhood cancer. An idea began to form, and 46 Mommas was born.
The mothers want to bring attention to childhood cancer and the need for research funding. They note that 20 to 25 percent of children diagnosed with cancer will not survive, yet only 4 percent of the National Cancer Institute’s budget is directed toward children’s cancer.
In addition to raising awareness by shaving their heads, the 46 Mommas hope to raise at least one million dollars for childhood cancer research through the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, the world’s largest volunteer-driven fund-raising program for childhood cancer research.
Each of the mothers has her own story to tell. Brittany wants Marissa’s story to live on. “This is my opportunity to keep Marissa going, to make sure people don’t forget. There’s so much going on, and people don’t want to think about it. Before Marissa got cancer, I didn’t think a child could get cancer. I guess I didn’t want to think about it.”
Beyond the serious nature of the event, Brittany and Jared want to see the Pacific Ocean while they’re in California. Jared hopes to meet Tony Hawk, who will be among the many celebrities who will appear on Stand Up 2 Cancer. Among others, the lineup now includes: Elizabeth Banks, Kathy Bates, Sir Richard Branson, Michael Chiklis, George Clooney, Emily Deschanel, Dorothy Hamill, Anne Heche, Randy Jackson, George Karl, Dr. Jon Lapook, Rob Lowe, Marlee Matlin, Shareen Mitchell, Kelly Osbourne, Gwyneth Paltrow, Will Smith, Sam Trammell, Denzel Washington, Aaron Yoo and Renée Zellweger.
Musical guests scheduled to perform include: Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day, Neil Diamond, The Edge, Delta Goodrem, Herbie Hancock, Kris Kristofferson, Lady Antebellum, Leona Lewis, Orianthi, Ann Wilson and Nancy Wilson of Heart, Natasha Bedingfield, Martina McBride, Aaron Neville, Dave Stewart and Stevie Wonder.
The Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) telecast will be simulcast commercial-free on ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, Bio, Current TV, Discovery Health, E!, G4, HBO, HBO Latino, MLB Network, mun2, Showtime, Smithsonian Channel, The Style Network, TV One and VH1 and will be hosted by network news anchors Katie Couric, Diane Sawyer and Brian Williams. The broadcast will air in 195 countries, as well as on the Armed Forces Network.
When asked how Southwest Virginia residents could support her, Brittany encouraged donations and said, “Just watch us.”
When she comes home, Brittany’s mission won’t be over. She wants to help the Mercers, a local family coping with a childhood cancer diagnosis.

Watch for Brittany Shuler on Stand Up 2 Cancer. The live television event will be simulcast by all major networks Friday, Sept. 10, at 8 p.m.
Learn more at 46mommas.com, standup2cancer.org and StBaldricks.org.