Panora beautician to shave head for childhood cancer research

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Emma Reinhart, 13, of Panora will buzz the scalp of Kellie Flanery in the Brave the Shave fundraising event for St. Baldrick's Foundation, which conducts childhood cancer research. Emma, who is fighting acute lymphoblastic leukemia, will lop her friend's locks at 5:15 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 5 on the square in Panora during Panorama Days.

Summer is the perfect time for short hair, and Kellie Flanery of Panora will take short hair to the limit Sunday, Aug. 6, when she shaves her head for her young friend, Emma Reinhart of Panora.

Emma Reinhart

Reinhart, 13, is contending with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a form of blood cancer, and Flanery will “Brave the Shave” in a fundraiser for St. Baldrick’s Foundation, which conducts research in childhood cancers.

“I’m shaving my head to raise money for childhood cancer research,” Flanery said. “If I get $10,000 in donations, combined with EmmaStrongs teams, I will shave my head.”

Childhood cancers differ from adult cancers, “and childhood cancer research is extremely underfunded,” Flanery said, “so I decided to do something about it by raising money for cures. Now I need your help. Will you make a donation? Every dollar makes a difference for the thousands of infants, children, teens and young adults fighting childhood cancers.”

Flanery is eminently qualified to shave her own head because she operates the Retro LUX Hair Salon in Panora and formerly operated in Perry. But instead of shaving her own head, she will hand the shears to Emma in August during Panorama Days.

A mass Brave the Shave event will be held on the square in Panora at 5:15 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 5 by the Emmastrong Rocks the Bald for St. Baldrick’s group. Flanery, however, is saving her shaving until Sunday and streaming her depilation live on Facebook.

Emma and her mother, Steph Reinhart, have “had a lot of ups and downs the past eight months,” according to Danielle Twigg, another member of the EmmaStrong fundraising team. “But Emma continues the fight with a beautiful smile on her face!”

Twigg will be running a weeklong fundraiser Danielle’s Younique Boutique VIP during Panorama Days, with all proceeds from sales in her store or on her website donated to this cause.

Flanery moved to Panora about one year ago after living 13 years in Perry. She worked in the Perry school system and was a varsity cheerleading coach. She said she first met Emma about three years when she started cutting the youngster’s hair.

“Emma’s 13, and I started doing her hair in Perry,” Flanery said. “Yes, they drove from Panora to Perry for three years to my shop.”

Flanery, Twigg and the rest of the EmmaStrong team have been receiving donations from local businesses.

“Thank you to each and every business who took time out of your day to learn more about us and our fundraiser for St Baldrick’s,” Twigg said. “We are so blessed to live in this amazing little town. Small towns have huge hearts, and you are helping us to do big things. We could never do this on our own.”

Twiff also praised Flannery. “I’m so proud that Emma gets to see what strong women can accomplish first hand!”

Emma Reinhart, 13, of Panora is fighting acute lymphoblastic leukemia with help from her friends.

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