DAVID Heeley and Kathryn Hudson have been getting some strange looks on Wombwell High Street this week.
Kathryn, of New Street, Wombwell, decided to ‘brave the shave’ for Cancer Research UK, shaving her head and raising more than £600 in the process.
Partner David wanted to follow suit - but with a lack of hair on his head to begin with, he decided to do something a little different, growing beard on just one half of his face.
The couple are hopeful they can raise £1,000, which they will split in half between Cancer Research UK and the Teenage Cancer Trust.
The charities are very important for David, who was diagnosed with small cell lung cancer nine years ago.
He is now in remission, but said he wouldn’t be where he was without the work these charities do.
“I was given six to 12 months to live,” David, 55, said. “Even now they’ve said they can’t cure it, they can only stop it getting worse.
“It never goes away, it’s always there and I can’t stop thinking about it, but what I did was started setting myself goals. It’s about having a list of things to look forward to, and that keeps me going.
“I always wanted to put something back in. Without all the research that has gone in over the years, I wouldn’t be here, and it’s still progressing.
“I think some day we will find a cure, but they can’t do it without the funding.”
It wasn’t until Kathryn made the decision to shave her head for Cancer Research last month, that David was spurred on to start his own efforts.
Kathryn, 52, said: “I didn’t have a lot of hair but it was quite thick, so it was a big decision and it took a few glasses of wine.
“Everybody has said they’re proud of me for doing it and that they couldn’t do it themselves, and Dave is proud of me as well.”
David, a carer with Dove Adolescent Services and former miner, added: “I couldn’t have shaved my head, because I’m already bald, and it’s a bit boring just growing a full beard.
“We dyed it blue to start with but that didn’t stick, but my beard is grey so you couldn’t really see it, so we got the Just for Men out and dyed it darker.”
David is still under Barnsley Hospital and goes back once a year for a check-up.
He said: “I go back every November and have an X-ray to see if there are any significant changes.
“It has taken a lot out of me, because the chemotherapy kills everything. It slows me down sometimes and I have to walk with a stick, it’s knocked my stuffing out.
“But I’m still here, and still working, and the longer it doesn’t come back for, the less likely it is that it will.”
Unfortunately David can only continue growing his half-beard until September, as his driving licence is due for renewal.
He said: “I do get some strange looks, but when they find out what it’s for people are really understanding and they realise it’s a good cause.
“But I don’t think it would look good on my driving licence.”
