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Firefighters shave heads for boy with cancer

Posted at 11:54 PM, Oct 14, 2015
and last updated 2015-10-14 23:54:23-04

PHOENIX, Ariz. — At least a dozen Phoenix firefighters shaved their heads Saturday in solidarity with a Phoenix boy with cancer and to raise money for childhood cancer research.

The Phoenix Fire Academy hosted a St. Baldrick’s Foundation head-shaving event. The goal was to raise $5,000 for childhood cancer research.

But a lot of firefighters had their heads shaved in honor of Ori Wright, too. The nine-year-old was first diagnosed with leukemia when he was two-years-old. Orrin has had two relapses.

“He just doesn’t let it phase him,” Kaye Wright, Ori’s mother, told KPHO. “It’s been a normal part of his life since he was two. So having cancer is just part of life.”

Ori Wright cutting a firefighter's head.

Ori Wright cutting a firefighter’s head.

Ori has to undergo another round of treatment, which mean’s he’ll lose his hair again.

“When we knew he was going to lose his hair at nine, we knew it was going to be impactful for him,” Wright said. “So having friends shave it with him, especially these big, strong firefighters, it’s just amazing. He knows he’s not alone.”

Ori Wright cutting a firefighter's head.

Ori Wright cutting a firefighter’s head.

Ori hangs out with the firefighters a lot. Wright said that they are like his family. Captain Ed Beuerlein with the Phoenix Fire Department, who had his head shaved, has known Ori since he was two-years-old, and said he is glad to do it for Ori.

“It’s the least I can do,” Beuerlein said. “He wants to be one of us so bad right now, and that’s what I want him to be. If I can be him for just one day, that’s a fair trade.”

Ori is scheduled to receive a bone marrow transplant Nov. 1.