ROANOKE, Va. – You have heard the saying “fight like a girl,” but one group of women wants to do more than that.
Three friends launched #FightLikeABroad after one of them faced a devastating diagnosis.
Friday morning, inside the Grandin Road Barber Shop, Bonnie Chavez and Nicole Cooper came through on a promise to their friend Susie Meador, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in the fall.
“These two were all, ‘Hey, well, you know, if you lose your hair then we’re there for you, we’re going to shave our heads too,’ and I’m like, ‘Yeah, okay,’” said Meador.
That same day, they sectioned off their strands and got to shaving.
“We’re like ‘We’re not going to let you do this alone,’ because she’s family,” said Cooper.
The three met as part of a local athletic group, Sports Broads. Now, they’re fighting cancer like a broad.
“Fighting cancer is one thing, but a broad fights back,” Cooper said.
Not allowing the disease to set the tone of their friendship, they decided to raise money to shave their heads.
“We really wanted to hit $10,000, that was our stretch goal and we hit stretch in 36 hours and we were like, ‘wow,’” said Cooper.
They collectively raised $11,000, which is going to help build Roanoke Hospitality House, a home away from home for family members of hospital patients.
“They actually in 36 hours made a donation to us that was greater than any one single donation we have ever received,” said Terrianne Julian, acting director of Roanoke Hospitality House.
“The great part is we’re still going, so that’s the other thing, we want to invite the community to join us,” said Chavez.
Their hair is gone, but their heart of giving is not.
To learn more about their next fundraising challenge, click here.