Bravely shaven

For more information about the St. Baldrick’s Foundation

A soap-opera star buzzed Angela Williams' long, thick curls down to nothing but coarse stubble during the "St. Baldrick's 46 Mommas Shave for the Brave" event in Los Angeles on Sept. 7.

As Williams' heavy brown locks fell to the ground of the Hollywood & Highland Center on a September day in California, the Tahlequah mother of two flashed back to almost a year before at Tulsa's St. Francis Hospital. Last fall, Williams held in her lap the very reason she shaved her head to raise awareness about pediatric cancer: Her now-3-year-old son Emmett Williams.

Angela Williams vividly remembers that day in Emmett's hospital room, where the boy's brown hair, which was falling out from chemotherapy, was finally shorn to a clean buzz cut.

As the celebrity barber, Jillian Clare of "Days of Our Lives" fame, continued steadily shearing Williams' locks during the National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month event, tears dripped from the mother's brown eyes.

"The tears were not at all for my hair," Williams said.

Last September, Emmett was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a form of childhood cancer that turned a vibrant 2-year-old - one unafraid of just about anything, including charging full-on into the ocean - into a lethargic, clingy boy without an appetite. Eventually, the discovery of tumors in the boy's abdomen resulted in a diagnosis of stage-four cancer, which invaded Emmett's bone marrow and spread to other parts of his body.

"It's a very deadly cancer with a high rate of relapse and a very low survival rate," Williams said. "Initially, we were told that he would have a 20 percent chance of surviving five years."

After the diagnosis, Williams recalled: "A lot of waiting. A lot of terror and a lot of fear. The earth was being ripped out from beneath our feet." And there was, as she said, "a lot of wishing that it could be me instead of my son."

'Mommas' in arms

Each weekday, 46 children just like Emmett are diagnosed with cancer, according to the St. Baldrick's Foundation. And, according to the People Against Childhood Cancer website - one of Williams' favorites - "Childhood cancer is the No. 1 cause of death from disease for our children."

In Emmett's fight, he has endured everything from six rounds of chemo to multiple surgeries. As of early February, Emmett has, as his mother said, "no evidence of disease," but his battle continues.

To help pay for the medical bills, a fund was created. Since its inception, it has raised about $20,000 from friends and family.

To gauge how many people are following Emmett's cancer battle, his website - tulsaworld.com/emmettwilliams - has nabbed more than 17,000 visits.

These days, Williams is one of the "46 Mommas" in the nation set on raising $1 million for the St. Baldrick's Foundation. The foundation has raised about $90 million since 2000. Its website boasts that it "now funds more in childhood cancer research grants than any organization except the U.S. government."

After the Sept. 7 "Shave for the Brave" event in California, Williams and the "46 Mommas" appeared on the nationally televised "Stand Up To Cancer" telethon, which was broadcast Sept. 10 on the major networks and other channels.

Together, the bald mothers walked hand-in-hand through the audience, then received a standing ovation. In that moment, Williams "really wanted to break down," but she found a way to smile as her son watched back home in Tahlequah.

Through everything, Emmett always finds a way to smile.

"He's always smiling. Always happy. Never a cranky kid," Williams said. "He makes being parents easy."

How to help

Contributions to Emmett Williams' medical fund may be mailed to:

The Emmett Williams Benefit Fund
Bank of America
100 S. Muskogee
Tahlequah, OK 74464

Matt Gleason, 581-8473
matt.gleason@tulsaworld.com

Share Link


Sender Name:
Sender Email:
Recipient Email:
Message:

'46 Mommas' plan to raise $1 million for research

A soap-opera star buzzed Angela Williams' long, thick curls down to nothing but coarse stubble during the "St. Baldrick's 46 Mommas Shave for the Brave" event in Los Angeles on Sept. 7.

'Mommas' in arms

How to help

Upcoming Eventsview all

Your bookmark will appear on your Profile page. Please give it a title, and short description so that visitors to your page will understand where the bookmark leads.
Bookmark Title :

Bookmark Text :