Cuts for a Cause: Keene Salon's Cancer Fundraiser Returns

If a fresh haircut is on your to-do list for October, consider scheduling it on a day when all the proceeds will be put toward a worthwhile community cause. MJD & Company Hair Design will hold its annual A Cut for Cancer Cut-A-Thon on Saturday, Oct. 11, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., said salon owner Mary Jane "MJ" Doody, who has held cancer treatment benefit events for the past 17 years. She's owned the salon since 1993, referring to herself with a laugh as "well-seasoned," and previously organized the very popular Bald Is Beautiful fundraiser, which was discontinued during the pandemic. Doody, though, wasn't ready to completely put down her scissors when it came to giving back, and her undeterred dedication brought about the cut-a-thon benefit. "I said I wasn't going to give up," recalled the stylist, who is herself a cancer survivor and was first inspired to organize cancer-related fundraisers by the battles of other close family members. "I'm that type of person; I need to help and be involved." While Bald Is Beautiful would raise up to $40,000 each year, the cut-a-thons are at a much smaller scale, she said, which means every dollar raised is critical. "We have plenty of appointments still available," Doody said, adding that a team of six stylists will be cutting hair that day. The cuts cost $40, which includes a shampoo, cut and blow-dry, with all proceeds going to the Linear Accelerator Fund of the Cheshire Health Foundation at Dartmouth Health/Cheshire Medical Center. Same-day appointments and walk-ins will be accommodated as much as possible and donations without a cut will also be accepted at the salon that day. "It all helps," Doody said, adding that a lot of customers come back year after year to participate. "Radiation therapy is a keystone of cancer treatment and is now used in more than half of all cancer cases. A linear accelerator is the machine that delivers targeted radiation to the site of a tumor; its precision helps to preserve healthy, nearby tissue," explained Jennifer Doyle, philanthropy associate with the Cheshire Health Foundation at Dartmouth Health/Cheshire Medical Center in Keene. "Cheshire Medical Center is adding a second linear accelerator to meet the growing need in our community for this type of cancer treatment — cancer diagnoses are rising — while also ensuring that said treatment remains as close to home as possible for those who need it. Patients undergoing radiation treatment must come to the hospital on a daily basis for weeks at a time, and this can be a real hardship for many people due to distance, time away from work, etc." Doyle explained that the second unit will help to eliminate disruptions to vital cancer treatment as therapy appointments won't be negatively impacted by planned maintenance or potential repairs. A new bunker will be built to house the second linear accelerator, which will be an addition to the Dartmouth Cancer Center at Cheshire Medical Center. "We are incredibly grateful to MJ for her unflagging support over nearly 20 years, from being Cheshire Health Foundation's partner for the Bald is Beautiful fundraiser for many years, to her continuing efforts through the cut-a-thon," Doyle expressed in gratitude. "Her enthusiasm and imagination are unmatched — in a different life she would have been a fundraiser! I love her dearly." Doyle said every dollar raised will go toward the $2.8 million purchase price of the new unit. "As a nonprofit, it's impossible to overstate how grateful Cheshire Medical Center is to have the support of our community," Doyle continued. "Also, in a perfect world, cancer wouldn't exist. Since this isn't a perfect world, by working together we're raising awareness and ensuring that state-of-the-art treatment is available to patients when and where they need it." This is the first year that Doody herself will be unable to cut hair due to being in recovery from a recent surgery, a limitation that she said bums her out, but she'll still be at the salon to manage the event and she's looking forward to seeing some familiar smiling faces. "We have a good time," she said of the day's overall uplifting mood and the heartwarming reward of contributing to an important community cause. "We all participate and it's a fun day for us." To schedule a haircut, call MJD & Co. Hair Design at 603-358-3100 or stop by the salon at The Center at Colony Mill, 149 Emerald St. in Keene on Oct. 11 to donate. During the cut-a-thon, checks should be made out to Cheshire Health Foundation with Linear Accelerator Fund in the memo section. For more information about the fundraiser, visit facebook.com/mjdhair. To donate directly to the Linear Accelerator Fund, visit cheshiremed.org/chf/annual-fund or mail checks to Cheshire Health Foundation, 580 Court St., Keene 03431 with Linear Accelerator Fund in the memo section.