Cork student to shave head in aid of Marymount

A CORK Leaving Certificate student has vowed to shave his head later this week in a bid to raise funds for Marymount Hospice.

Last month, 18-year-old John O’Connell decided to set up an online fundraiser in the hopes of raising money for a worthy cause.

Speaking to The Echo, the Bruce College student said that he has been growing his hair for a year and has not had it cut since the initial Covid-19 lockdown in March 2020.

As part of the fundraiser, John decided to shave his very full head of hair, with all funds raised in the lead-up going to the hospice.

“I’ve just been growing my hair for so long…I said I would throw it up on GoFundMe to see if I could get any donations or any support and I just said I would shave my head to raise awareness and get more sponsors for it.”

John said that he had only initially hoped to raise between €200 and €500 with the fundraiser.

However, in just a matter of hours, he had received €1,500 in donations.

“I raised €1,500 straight away in five or six hours. It was mad.”

He said that he was inspired to raise money for Marymount after seeing the “support and help that they give to their patients” when they cared for a family member.

On Friday John will be taking the plunge and shaving his head for the cause.

“I’m not really dreading it or anything. I’m kind of excited to see what it will look like,” he said.

John thanked all of those who have donated to the cause so far. “I’d just like to thank everyone who has helped me with fundraising, and I would like to thank everyone for the support they have given me throughout my fundraiser,” he added.

To donate, visit John’s head shave for Marymount Hospice on gofundme.com.