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Teddy Gerber wanted to be a scientist. He wanted to one day cure diseases ranging from cancer to mosquito bites. Even at 8 years old, he wanted his work to help others when he grew up, no matter what it would take.
I think being a scientist is important because if someone was very sick I would try to help cure them, Teddy wrote for an assignment while a third-grader at Osborn Hill School. I think these things are good about being a scientist: I save lives and help people be less uncomfortable. I think working all day (sometimes night) will be very hard but worth it if Im going to help people stay healthy.
Teddy never got to fulfill his wish. Less than a month after that assignment, he was diagnosed with undifferentiated sarcoma, a rare, aggressive form of cancer. He endured seven rounds of high-toxicity chemotherapy, two life-threatening operations and seven weeks of high dosage radiation. Still, new tumors kept popping up. He died Aug. 16 last year at age 9 ½, just a little over 9 months after his initial diagnosis.
During his nine-month struggle with the disease, he found at least one joy seeing his older brother John shave his head. He even took off the hooded sweatshirt he wore almost every day throughout his chemotherapy, because, as he said, Im not the only bald person here anymore.
That was just over a year ago at Osborn Hill. John and many others went under the razor to support St. Baldricks, an organization that funds pediatric cancer research. They raised thousands that night, and though Teddy will no longer be able to join them this year, the Gerbers and Osborn Hill decided to bring the event back in his honor.
While it will be horribly painful to not have Teddy there, we are hoping that it will raise even more funds for St. Baldricks so that one day soon another child who dreams of being a scientist will have that chance, Teddys mother, Jessica, said in an email.
This years St. Baldricks shave-off will be Friday, March 11, at Osborn Hill (760 Stillson Road). For more information, or to make a donation, visit Teddys page on St. Baldricks website.
Have you ever shaved your head for a St. Baldricks event? Share your experiences in the comments below.
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