July 17, 2008
Westfield boy grows hair to help children with cancer
Matthew Hastings, 9, will cut hair live on TV to support Jimmy Fund
Matthew returned to New Stars for Young Stars in 2008 with shoulder length locks. He saw the same young cancer patient he noticed one year ago. His family introduced themselves, and the patient's family was touched. Matthew and 17-year-old leukemia patient Andrea then laced up their shoes and bowled together.
Matthew Hastings, a 9-year-old resident of Westfield, will get a haircut to remember during the WEEI/NESN Jimmy Fund Radio-Telethon on Aug. 14.
Hastings, who has been growing his hair long for the past year to help children who have lost their hair due to medical issues, will have his haircut televised on New England Sports Network (NESN). His hair will be donated to Locks of Love, an organization which provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children who are suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis.
One year ago, Hastings, who is a huge Boston Red Sox fan and baseball player himself, was at "News Stars for Young Stars," a fundraising event to acquire coveted Red Sox player autographs to benefit the Jimmy Fund, an official charity of the Red Sox. The Jimmy Fund supports adult and pediatric cancer research and care at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.
While at New Stars in 2007 Matthew noticed that some of the children in the room were bald. His parents, Bruce and Liz, and sister Mikhaila explained that the medicine people take to treat cancer causes them to lose their hair. Matthew asked how he could help and they told him about Locks of Love.
Hastings decided to take the challenge, adding "I feel good about helping out."
In the past year, he has ignored taunts from his friends while his hair grew – especially now, when it is longer than most girls in his class. He just explains that he is helping kids with cancer. "It has been pretty easy to grow my hair out and now my friends think it is pretty cool," said Hastings. "I wanted to help out so people don't make fun of kids without hair."
Cancer has been a part of Hastings' life. His uncle, Henry Skerry, lost his battle to colorectal cancer in 1999 at the age of 38.
"When my wife's brother Henry started treatment at Dana-Farber, we saw examples everyday of how special the doctors and nurses all are. They even attended the funeral," said Bruce Hastings.
The Hastings decided to turn their sadness into a positive and picked a charity to support in Henry's memory.
"After Henry passed it was an easy choice to pick our charity," explained Bruce Hastings. "I have done the Boston Marathon® Jimmy Fund Walk for years, I organize Jimmy Fund programs with my students at the school where I teach, I attend New Stars for Young Stars with my son, and Matthew plays on a Jimmy Fund Little League team. I remember my grandmother talking about the Jimmy Fund and Red Sox legend Ted Williams' involvement helping kids with cancer."
The 7th annual WEEI/NESN Jimmy Fund Radio-Telethon is on Aug. 14 and 15. The two-day event will feature compelling stories, celebrity guests, sports panels, and emotional ceremonies. Listeners and viewers will be able to make a gift online or by phone to help raise funds for Dana-Farber.
Hastings will share his story and get his hair cut live on NESN on Thursday, Aug. 14. In 2007, the Radio-Telethon raised $3.74 million. Since 2002, with the help of stories like Hastings', the event has raised nearly $12 million to benefit the Jimmy Fund and the life-saving mission of Dana-Farber.
To help strike out cancer during the WEEI/NESN Jimmy Fund Radio-Telethon, call (877) 738-1234 toll-free or go to www.jimmyfundradiotelethon.org.Contact
Elizabeth Chernack
The Jimmy Fund
(617) 632-4687
