Carl Petersen of Ashburton is set to sport a new look after shaving his hair and beard off tonight to raise funds for Shave for a Cure.
It will be done at Flashbacks night market.
Carl, 73, went for a routine blood test just prior to Christmas last year and then received a letter telling him he had an appointment at Christchurch Hospital.
Carl said he was tired but did not feel as if anything was wrong.
However he was told he had two types of cancer one affecting his red blood cells, the other his white.
‘‘I had no idea anything was wrong,’’ Carl said.
He is now having weekly injections and his red blood cells are in the normal range.
‘‘My cancer is not curable but it is treatable, so I am making the most of life,’’ Carl said.
Carl said if he drops off to sleep around his granddaughters, they have fun painting his nails or even doing a make over.
Tonight, Carl’s hair and beard of 40 years will be shaved off.
The result will be a surprise to many who know him.
He began growing his beard after he finished being a volunteer firefighter; he could not have a beard while being a firey.
Carl is looking to auction off the right to do the shave.
His goal is a $1000, as of Wednesday morning he has raised $264.
This isn’t the first time Carl has shaved his head for cancer, he did it for child cancer about 20 years ago.
‘‘The grandchildren and most of my friends have never seen me without a beard,’’ he said.
– To donate to Carl’s Shave for a Cure go to shaveforacure.co.nz/fundraisers/carlpetersen/shavefor-a-cure or make a donation at the shave.
The shave of Carl’s head and beard will be tonight at Flashbacks night market, 173 Burnett St, at 6.30pm.
