By Benjamin William Stephens
Children and adults at the Earl L. Vandermeulen High School in Port Jefferson came together on March 17 to shave their heads as part of an annual St. Baldrick’s event to raise money to donate to cancer research.
Kyle Martin, 17, a student at the high school had been diagnosed with cancer at the age of 7. While he was lucky enough that his cancer went into remission within a year of his diagnosis, the experience was very impactful for him. His mother, Melissa Martin, said that they didn’t really know how significant St. Baldrick’s was until one of his friends shaved their head in his honor while he had been sick with cancer. Eventually, the St. Baldrick’s Foundation reached out to Kyle Martin during his battle with cancer marking the start of their relationship.
Inspired by his clash with cancer, Kyle approached John Ruggero, the principal, in 2022 with the idea of creating an annual St. Baldrick’s event at the school where students and teachers could volunteer to have their heads shaved to raise money and awareness for cancer research.
Since then, the school has held a St. Baldrick’s event every year. “Our first year was like $2,000, at this point today we’re at 21 grand so it’s pretty amazing. Every year we try and make it bigger and bigger” Melissa Martin said. Kyle said “it’s sad to see how many people have a relationship with cancer . . . I think it’s great that younger kids are being able to understand what cancer is because when I had cancer I had almost no clue what it was.”
Robert Farenga, a Spanish and computer science teacher who had his head shaved at the event said what he thinks it means for children with cancer. “I want them to know that we support them and that they’re not alone.”
Kathleen Starke, a second-grade elementary school teacher at Andrew Muller Primary School in Miller Place who had been Kyle’s teacher while he had cancer, was also present at the event. Starke spoke of how when Kyle had been too sick to go to school she would go to his house every day after school to teach him one on one. “He’d meet me at the front door with a smile.” she said. “It makes me so proud of him like it just shows the kind of character he has, just such strength to go through everything he’s gone through and to come out this smiling happy brave little boy,” she said.
Benjamin William Stephens is a reporter with The SBU Media Group, part of Stony Brook University’s School of Communication and Journalism Working Newsroom program for students and local media.
