The Boland Family: The Force Behind Npt Lax Club's St. Baldrick's Campaign

In 2006 I shaved my head to raise money for St. Baldrick's. Working every angle to raise money, I was at Napper Tandys the day of the event and someone yelled to another woman, "I'll give you $1,000 to shave your head!" I turned to her and said, "Give me your sweatshirt and we'll pull a switch!" and there, innocently enough, I met Krista Boland.

I have come to know Krista and her husband Mark, their story of their family's battle with pediatric cancer, and all about their three lovely children. You'll probably recognize them in the photos as they are very involved in community youth programs.

The Boland Family, dedicated members of the , foster a massive campaign combining the grassroots St. Baldrick's Events with the recreational Northport Lacrosse Club families each year.

Krista speaks every year at the St. Baldrick's Events. Below she shares the story of her fight against childhood cancer.

I remember reading about the 2003 St. Baldrick's event in Northport at from Seattle, Washington. My son Matthew, then six, had been in the hospital for about two weeks as he was undergoing a bone marrow transplant for leukemia.

I felt incredibly proud of the community we had left behind while reading about the selfless act each shavee was demonstrating in choosing to give up their hair.  Matt didn't have a choice. The radiation and chemotherapy had begun to take its toll, causing him to loose all of his hair - but really, that was the easiest of all side-effects to endure. 

It was such an uncertain time. There was no way to predict the outcome of his treatment. A nurse once told me that we had "the best of the worst." No doubt, having your child diagnosed with a life-threatening illness is the worst. It is about as bad as you might imagine. But knowing the type of cancer Matt had was well-understood and the treatment protocols in place were tested, helped us to feel lucky at one of the most unlucky times in our life. Thanks to the research done before Matt's diagnosis, our doctors were able to answer our questions and recommend a treatment plan.  Some children are not so lucky.

The weeks turned into months and as the summer came, so too did our dream come true: coming home to Northport as a family of five. 

That was nine years ago. Each year since our return, Matt, Michael (his big brother and brave donor) and Mark, my husband, have shaved and raised money for the St. Baldrick's Foundation. We have been joined and supported by the Northport Lacrosse community with a faithful team of shavees and generous donors who over those years have helped to raise over $170,000 for this deserving organization. 

One of Matt's doctors, Dr. Jeffrey Lipton, is on the Board of Directors for St. Baldrick's. Several years ago at an appointment, I shared with him that Matt was shaving. He knew all about St. Baldrick's and affirmed my belief that the well-managed foundation was truly making a difference in the world of pediatric cancer research -  a world that is under prioritized and underfunded by the US government. But St. Baldrick's has only one priority and that is funding childhood cancer research. With 82 cents of every dollar directed at promising research, they are well on their way to conquering kids' cancer. 

The events here have raised millions for the foundation over the years and are always among the top events in both heads shaved and dollars donated. This exceptional level of support is no surprise as our community has demonstrated its generosity for worthy causes over and over. What a great place to live. Thank you to the dedicated organizers of the events. Your hard work and loyalty is appreciated more than you can know. And to the Northport-East Northport community for your kindness and giving. You have made the right call in choosing to support the St. Baldrick's Foundation.

Northport Lacrosse Club's St. Baldrick's page:
http://www.stbaldricks.org/teams/mypage/75590/2012

Northport Lacrosse Club's St. Baldrick's video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kb7jg76Sk6M