EMMAUS, Pa. – The Shave for the Brave event at Emmaus high school brings together students, families, and community members all raising money for childhood cancer research through the St. Baldrick’s Foundation.

But behind the clippers and cheers, there’s a deeper reason many showed up Friday night.

“In 2017, when I was five, I was diagnosed with leukemia, and I had a very long two-and-a-half-year battle,” Leslie Moore said. “Last February, I was moved from remission status to cured.”

Leslie says that spreading awareness through events like this, helps show that childhood cancer can be more common than people realize.

Next year, Leslie will be a freshman here at Emmaus.

“I’m really excited to just kind of, like, be a normal kid, you know, I had, like, the majority of my childhood taken away from me,” Leslie said. “I’m cured, and I can just restart everything and live my life how I want it to be.”

Her mother says that a day before Christmas Eve they knew something was wrong. After hours in the ER, doctors delivered them the news that no one wants to hear.

“He sat me and my husband down and told us we would have to wait for the official test. But he was pretty sure it was cancer. He was pretty sure it was leukemia,” Adrienne Moore said.

She says the journey was terrifying, but seeing the community rally behind children like her daughter brings hope.

“I’m so thankful for people doing things like St. Baldrick’s,” Adrienne Moore said. “It’s a great cause. It’s a great organization.”

The cause is also deeply personal for many participants. Each writing what they’re shaving for.

“It’s my third time shaving. My fourth time being bald,” Tammy Kita, a teacher at Emmaus High School said.

“The very first event was March of 2010. I sat there in the bleachers feeling very moved,” Tammy explained. “And I didn’t know it, but I actually probably had breast cancer at that moment. So two months later, almost exactly to the day, I was diagnosed with breast cancer.”

Tammy underwent chemo and radiation, leading to the loss of her hair. 16 years later, she is cancer free and bald by choice.

“I felt so powerful because, you know, you realize what the outcome and you realize that hair is nothing. Hair grows back,” Tammy added.

A major change in appearance making a huge impact in the battle against cancer.