Calvary Mater staff get ready to shave heads for RUN DIPG charity fundraiser

Now, the time has come, and the Newcastle radiation therapist has managed to recruit some extra supporters willing to sacrifice a whole lot of hair for a very worthy cause.

Ms Marks - alongside her Calvary Mater Newcastle colleagues Bec Farrell, Tracy Scott, Clare Monk and Alesha Quinn - will shave her long locks at the Bennett Hotel in Hamilton on Wednesday night.

"Normally people shave their heads for Shave for a Cure, which raises money for the Leukaemia Foundation and blood cancers, but I am good friends with a family who lost their daughter, Josie Dun, to DIPG," Ms Marks, who works in the hospital's oncology department, said. "So when I decided I was going to do this, I decided to do it for their local cancer charity."

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Biologist Dr Matt Dun - Josie's father - was already researching cancer treatments at the University of Newcastle prior to her diagnosis in February, 2018.

Subsequently, he turned much of his attention to solving the DIPG puzzle.

They began the RUN DIPG charity to fund his research into the disease which has an average survival of about 10 months.

"It's close to my heart, so rather than give it to a bigger charity that is nation-wide, I wanted to do this for a local charity supporting local research and the local community," Ms Marks said.

Related: Locals make waves with new DIPG trial

They will donate their hair to Sustainable Salons to make into wigs for people with cancer and alopecia.

They have raised almost $35,000 so far. But they would love to raise more. Support them via rundipg.raisely.com/t/radonc.

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