Badin students shave their heads to support freshman

Kyle Bergen.

ENLARGE PHOTO

Blog: More photos from Badin's group head-shave

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Badin High School students had a massive head-shaving session on Tuesday, Sept. 7, as a show of solidarity for fellow student Kyle Bergen, who was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma this summer and lost his hair during treatments.

Contributed photo Badin High School students had a massive head-shaving session on Tuesday, Sept. 7, as a show of solidarity for fellow student Kyle Bergen, who was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma this summer and lost his hair during treatments.

More than 70 shed hair to honor classmate’s cancer fight

By Richard O Jones, Staff Writer Updated 11:37 AM Thursday, September 9, 2010

HAMILTON — In an amazing show of solidarity for a student they barely know, nearly 20 percent of Badin High School’s students shaved their heads this week to honor Kyle Bergen, a freshman who is being treated for Hodgkin’s lymphoma and has lost all of his hair through the treatment.

Bergen, son of Liberty Twp. residents Rob and Caron Bergen, was vacationing in Hawaii in January, showering up after a day’s surfing, when he discovered a lump just above his collarbone, his mother said.

Because he showed no other symptoms and was otherwise healthy, it wasn’t until June that he received a diagnosis of Stage 2a nodular sclerosing Hodgkin’s lymphoma and had surgery to remove the affected nodes. He began chemotherapy July 1, and is about to begin the fourth and final round before beginning three weeks of radiation therapy.

Bergen has been to school only four days this year and is in the hospital this week battling an infection, but the cancer appears to be gone, his mother said. She said he was “quite amused” by photos of the massive hair-cutting session Tuesday, Sept. 7, at Badin, and posted them on the carepages.com site where he uses the handle “BadinBoy.”

Twenty-three members of the freshman football team showed up at school with their heads already shaved, having done so after practice on Monday. More than 50 more students were buzzed during the lunch periods, and still more showed up Wednesday with shining pates.

“What a great effort!” exclaimed Gina Helms, director of Badin’s Office of Campus Ministry.

“We put it out there on Friday in support of Kyle, and the students just lined up throughout lunch. It was amazing.”

“As a freshman, Kyle has just been a Ram for a few days — but students from every class want him to feel comfortable when he’s here,” said counselor Angie Bucheit.

In fact, four freshman girls — Taylor Weltzer, Olivia Davis, Trisha Kalkhof and Katherine Schindler — made it a co-ed event by stepping up to get their heads shaved. Brian Pendergest, the dean of students, and Matt Thompson, director of custodial services, also went under the shears.

“These are the kind of happenings that make all of us proud to be a part of Badin High School,” Helms said.

Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2188 or rjones@coxohio.com.

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