SINGAPORE – As a five-year-old battling cancer, Wilson Wu braced himself for kindergarten every day.

The other children ridiculed him for being bald and called him names. 

Now 18 and a cancer survivor, he has gone bald again – not because of chemotherapy, but to stand in solidarity with others battling cancer.

On April 19, Wilson shaved his head in support of Hair for Hope (HfH) 2026, which aims to raise awareness of childhood cancer and raise $5 million for programmes and services that the Children’s Cancer Foundation (CCF) provides to such children and their families.

Running from March 4 to Aug 16, the campaign also sees “shavees” volunteer to go bald in support of children with cancer, showing them it is okay to be bald.

Recalling his own fight against cancer, Wilson said he started experiencing random bouts of pain in his chest when he was three, which left him wailing and unable to sleep at night. Initially, his parents and doctors thought it might just be a common disease like the flu. 

But in 2013, at age five, he was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a rare and aggressive cancer that develops from immature nerve cells in infants and young children.

“I was very young, so I didn’t really understand what was happening. I remember feeling scared and confused, especially seeing my parents being very worried and emotional,” said Wilson, now a student at Hwa Chong Institution.

The condition affected his spine and impeded his ability to move about freely. He had no appetite and became very skinny.

He also had to shave his head after chemotherapy caused his hair to fall out.

This sudden change took a toll on his mental health and social interactions as well. “It affected my confidence and ability to make friends, as it made me more self-conscious,” he said.

“I definitely felt like I was treated differently...