The last time Vernon’s Tanis Marquette and longtime friend Bree Gable of Prince George could literally feel the wind whipping through their hair was about 14 years ago.
That changed Sunday afternoon thanks to celebrity barbers Jerhett Schafer and Betty Selin of SUN-FM’s The Sunrise Show – Clearly, both DJs are more comfortable with microphones in their hands than barber clippers. Marquette and Gable donated their long manes of brunette hair to the concrete outside Vernon’s The Beauty Bar Sunday, Oct. 4.
The two women were doing all they could to raise $30,000 for a mutual high school friend from Prince George, whose one-year-old daughter, Harper Hanki, is battling Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type 1.
In front of more than 20 friends and onlookers, Marquette and Gable sat, er, well, comfortably as Schafer and Selin snipped away.
The event was shown through a live video feed on Facebook in order to avoid drawing a crowd due to COVID-19 precautions.
The ladies hoped to raise $30,000 to help with Harper’s treatment. She has been receiving doses of Spinraza, a drug that carries a price tag of $125,000 per shot which is administered via lumbar puncture. What the Hankis are aiming for is a one-time IV treatment with a drug called Zolgensma. The cost of the drug is $2.8 million and it will change Harper’s life.
Harper, who lives in Edmonton, has to receive this drug before the age of two on July 12, 2021.
The pair are more than halfway to their goal through a GoFundMe page for the campaign. You can donate through the page.
There is also an online auction of more than 100 goods donated by the community which can be found on Facebook at Online Auction for Harper Hanki.
Bids opened at 8 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 4 and will close at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 7.
“Thank you so much to the community for the amazing support and generosity,” said Marquette before allowing Gable to snip her two ponytails to kick off the head shave. Gable returned the favour, allowing Marquette to cut her ponytail before both gave way to the Barbers of SUN-FM.
roger@vernonmorningstar.com
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