Suedehead (In Memory of Andrew) By: Lezah WIlliamson

Yup, that's me. I'll answer to whatever you want to call me: Suedehead, Baldie, Chrome-domus, Stubby, Skinhead... The list goes on.

Probably the Christmas season is not the best time to take a razor to one's head; I have visions of Great Grandma having a massive coronary beside the Christmas tree when she finally sees me. But trust me, it was all for a good cause.

You see, someone I really, really liked and admired died in September of cancer. He was 20 years old. I really thought he was going to make it - in fact, this time last year we got the good news that, following six months of treatment, his MRI was clear and he was cured. I can remember being so happy last Christmas...

But come February, it was clear that Andrew's cancer was back, and he finally succumbed to it in September. So a group of friends from his old high school got together and bet the Vice Principal that if they could raise $10,000, the VP would have to shave his head. He agreed, and a week later, there was $10,059 in the coffers, and one administrator, three teachers, and about 50 students had parted with their locks.

Now, it's too late for Andrew. A great guy who was looking forward to a great life; that was Andrew. He was a top academic student, and had just finished his first year of university in Ontario. He was a real humanitarian, and had raised funds for many different causes during his time as Students' Council Vice President. In short, Andrew was a great guy and I could go on and on and on about why the gods of cancer should have picked someone else, if they had to pick at all.

But we can't escape the fact that he's gone, and all we can do is keep his memory alive - and keep the money rolling in. Hopefully one day soon, cancer will be beaten.