SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
The meticulous buzzing and clipping of the barber's tools left Belinda Jeromchuk cringing with anxiety as she had her head shaved bald for the Canadian Cancer Society last Wednesday.

Joe Kalnins, barber with Ragged Assed Barbers, left, makes the first cut of the long locks belonging to Belinda Jeromchuk. Jeromchuk, a petty officer second class, raised $4,020 in donations for the Canadian Cancer Society after having her hair cut Wednesday. - Simon Whitehouse/NNSL photo

Once she was hairless though, the petty officer second class with Joint Task Force North felt an odd sense of freedom and ease related to her missing her golden locks and the tenderness of her exposed scalp.

Jeromchuk, 51, held the public cutting of her hair at JTFN's Raven Nest mess hall to honour her sister, who died of brain cancer in September at 55.

"I am extremely nervous," she said before the cut. "I know the hair grows back, but you look in the mirror and it is a constant reminder of the loss of my sister. I think the next six months will be rough."

Jeromchuk raised $4,020 in online and workplace pledges for cancer research.

Jeromchuk said she low-balled her goal of raising $1,000 with the promise she would shave her head to a level number two on an electric hair clipper if she was successful. Because she surpassed that figure, she ended up going to level 0 on the clipper.

The event was a very emotional one for her as she thanked her co-workers through tears for supporting her after losing her sister. Her mother also died in 2000 at the age of 54 from the disease as did her father in 2009 while she was serving in Afghanistan.

"I'm pretty much the only one left in my family," she admitted.

Jeromchuk has only been in Yellowknife for about a year and a half, but she has come to love the city after being stationed at different spots in Canada during her 33-year career with the Canadian Armed Forces.

About 40 officers and co-workers crammed the mess hall to watch Joe Kalnins, a barber with Ragged Ass Barbers, remove her hair that was longer than 12 inches. Jeromchuk said for most of her life she has wore her hair long but did trim it during her Afghanistan tour to fit a helmet over her head. The Canadian Armed Forces stipulates women must have their hair cut above the collar or put up, such as in a bun or a French braid.

Co-workers hollered excitedly as Kalnins spent about a half hour sectioning off her hair in pony tails, trimming off the various lengths, forming a coloured mohawk for photo purposes, and then ultimately shaving it off.

When Jeromchuk held the first lock cut, one co-worker yelled she looked like it was "Tuesday on the trapline." When she hesitated at one point of shaving her hair to the skin, her co-workers roared "Zero! Zero! Zero!" in reference to the clipper level.

All hair was put in a Ziplock bag and donated to the Pantene Beautiful Lengths campaign which takes hair cut for cancer fundraising and makes wigs.

Fernanda Martins, a relationship development co-ordinator and policy analyst with the Canadian Cancer Society Alberta/NWT received the giant cheque for the occasion.

"It means a huge amount. There are people all over the country doing similar events and contributing to the funds we use to fund invaluable (initiatives) that helps people with cancer across the country, as well as services and programs we provide, advocacy and information services."

The Raven Pub Shavin'

Toni Fontana Enns, a manager at the Raven Pub, said her establishment hosted James Bacon, a DJ with the club, last Saturday night to cut 13 inches of his hair in a similar effort. Bacon shaved his head for Locks for Love ­ an American-based non-profit charity that puts together wigs for sick children. In the process he raised $6,095 for the Canadian Cancer Society.

Enns said her husband Mike, also a manager at the pub, collected pledges to have his beard shaved off.

"I'm very proud of the boys, it was brave of them, a big change for both, but everyone had fun," Enns said. "Giving back to the community always brings in great energy. All the money we raised stays in the North and that's very important to us."

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