For most of October, Division 1 Coun. Mark Kamachi has been sporting a new hair colour – his hair was dyed a bright blue to raise awareness for prostate cancer, a cause with which he holds a personal connection. “My father was diagnosed with prostate cancer about two years ago,” Kamachi said. Kamachi said his daughter, Maya, is in part responsible for his blue hair. Since his parents live in White Rock, B.C., Kamachi’s children don’t have the opportunity to see their grandparents very often. As Maya grappled with her grandfather’s cancer diagnosis, she decided she wanted to do something symbolic for him. “I jokingly said, ‘Maya, why don’t you shave your head?’” Kamachi said, laughing. “A 16-year-old girl will not shave her head.” That joke spawned an actual idea – Kamachi and Maya planned to devote the month of September to raise at least $5,000 for Prostate Cancer Canada’s research. If they successfully reached their fundraising goal, Kamachi said, Maya would cut her waist-length hair and donate it, to be made into a wig for someone undergoing cancer treatment. “I was pretty proud of her,” he said. “She sort of said to me, ‘You have to do something.’” With his daughter’s challenge issued, Kamachi committed to dying his hair blue if they reached their goal. The pair created a video about their fundraising goal, Kamachi said, and posted it on YouTube with a link directly to their online fundraising page. He also posted about the fundraiser on both his personal and official council Facebook pages. “I did hit up councillors, administration, friends and family – anyone who was willing to open their wallets,” Kamachi said. In the end, the Kamachis raised approximately $5,600 online, along with additional cash donations. Thus, Maya cut off approximately 14 inches of hair and donated it to the Canadian Cancer Society. Meanwhile, Kamachi’s hair was dyed – but he said he’s not a stranger to dying his hair to raise awareness for causes. “About four or five years ago, I actually did pink hair to bring awareness for breast cancer,” Kamachi said. “It was while I was the vice-president of the Bragg Creek Chamber of Commerce.” Kamachi said his blue hair has sparked a number of conversations. “Any time someone says something, I’ll go up to them and tell them the story,” he said. “That’s part of the ongoing process of having this blue hair.” Cancer is an important issue, he added, and, although so much money and energy is already poured into research and awareness, more is always needed. “There isn’t anyone I know that isn’t affected by cancer in one way or another,” Kamachi said. “Whether it’s your dog or cat, even – cancer is all around us.”
