Why I Shaved My Head

Zoe San Miguel, 15, from Citrus Heights, California, shaved her head in front of her entire school. She did it as an act of unity with kids who have cancer and often lose their hair during treatment. The event was a fundraiser for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation.

Scope: What inspired you to shave your head to raise money for cancer research?

Zoe: I was 12 when my best friend, Tori, was diagnosed with brain cancer. Tori was in my Girl Scout troop. We tried to help her as much as we could. When we sold Girl Scout cookies, we gave whatever tips we got to Tori’s family to help pay medical bills. So when I saw that St. Baldrick’s was putting on an event at my school where kids could shave their heads to raise money for cancer research, I knew I wanted to participate.

Scope: How is Tori today?

Zoe: Tori is living without cancer. It was nice that she got to see me do this. She was excited to hear that I was trying to help other kids.

Scope: How does the fundraiser work?

Zoe: It’s a bit of a competition. You have a week to raise as much money as you can. I and 12 other kids participated. All of us shaved our heads, but I raised the most money—$2,700—so I got to shave my head in front of the whole school.

Scope: How did you raise so much money?

Zoe: I reached out to a radio show called The Bobby Bones Show. Bobby donated a lot to my cause and helped me promote the event. Another radio show, The Bull, also helped me raise money.

Scope: Were you nervous?

Zoe: Only when they sat me down in the chair and I saw the razor. But the theme of the event was High School Musical—one of my favorite movies. At one point, everyone started singing along to “Breaking Free.” That made me a lot less nervous. I said to myself, “No turning back now. I’m ready for this!”

Scope: How did you feel afterward?

Zoe: I had people coming up to me crying, and so many people were touching my head. One student told me that she had been diagnosed with cancer as a kid. We had a good conversation, and it made me feel so much better about what I did. I just kept staring at myself bald and thinking, “Wow, this is real. I helped a lot of people.”

Scope: Would you do it again?

Zoe: In a heartbeat.

Scope: Would you encourage other teens to do the same thing?

Zoe: I would encourage any kid to participate, boy or girl. This was a life-changing experience for me, especially because hair is such an important part of who you are. To lose my hair and look at myself was a good experience. And I met many people and got to learn about their stories and how they were affected by cancer.

Scope: What advice would you give to someone who wants to shave their head but is scared?

Zoe: Focus on who you’re helping and not what you’re going to look like afterward. I believe that fear is the greatest enemy. If you realize there are bigger issues than your fear, everything becomes so much easier. 

This article was originally published in the March 2019 issue.