Josh Marshall won St. Baldrick’s Foundation #BestBaldDad Contest for childhood cancer. The dad not only went bald for his cancer-stricken son, but also got a tattoo to match his son’s brain surgery scar.
Marshall said his 8-year-old son, Gabriel, who has been battling a rare form of childhood cancer, felt insecure about the scar left on his head after the removal of a brain tumor. Seeing his son so upset spurred Marshall to do something for him: get a tattoo that matched his son’s so the boy wouldn’t feel so alone. He told his son, “If people want to stare at you, they can stare at both of us.”
Gabriel was anaplastic astrocytoma, a rare malignant brain tumor in May 2015. He had the tumor swiftly removed, leaving him with a scar that made him “feel like a monster.” Marshall quickly got a matching tattoo in August of 2015, not wanting his son to feel alone.
He entered a photo of the pair and their surgery scars into a Father’s Day competition for St. Baldrick’s Foundation, an organization that fights childhood cancer. The photo contest showcases dads, uncles and grandfathers who have shaved their head in solidarity with their relative who suffers from pediatric cancer. The pair took home first place with over 5000 votes and a viral photo.
Marshall says of the tattoo, “It just started as a friendly competition for Father’s Day and then it just blew up. It’s really weird. But it’s raising awareness for childhood cancer, and that’s all that really matters.”
He also says that getting the tattoo has helped his son’s confidence.
St. Baldrick’s responded to the sweet photo with, “Thank you for your entry. That’s really sweet of you to tattoo his scar.”
After winning his first place title, Marshall wrote a post to Facebook, thanking all who supported his and his son’s journey:
“I would like to thank everyone for helping make this happen it’s an honor to be titled 2016’s #BestBaldDad, but the truth is I’m no better then any of the other contestants. We are all great fathers that would go to any extent to help our children, so in my eyes we’re all winners! Hope you all have a great week and a happy father’s day to all you men making a difference in your children’s lives!”
Sources:
Huffington Post
CBS News