CALLENDER - She's never been to California. She's never flown by herself. She's never shaved her head.
But come Tuesday, all that will be in the past for Peggy Larson, of Callender, a first-grade teacher at Duncombe school in Fort Dodge.
Larson, whose young son Coleman died of cancer in January 2009, is offering her hair as a tribute to him and a hope that research will soon end the preponderance of childhood cancer - 46 children are newly diagnosed every day.
The young mother will be part of a group called "46 Mommas: Shave for the Brave" who will shave their heads at 4 p.m. Tuesday at the Central Courtyard, Hollywood and Highland Center in Los Angeles. The group will also participate in Friday's "Stand Up 2 Cancer," a live simulcast at 7 p.m. on all major networks carrying the slogan "this is where the end of cancer begins."
What it all boils down to is a massive push to raise money and awareness of childhood cancer.
"When you believe in something, you've got to stand up for it," Larson said. "I'm still going to be the same person on the inside, but I'll look different when I come back."
That's what she told the 21 youngsters in her first-grade class when she discussed childhood cancer with them.
"They knew a little about Coleman, but not a lot," she said. "They're so honest in their questions. 'Why did he die?' 'Why do kids get cancer?' I told them, 'maybe some day one of you will grow up and find a cure."
Coleman's twin, Caden, 6, didn't respond quite as Larson anticipated.
"At first he didn't want me to do it, which surprised me because I thought he'd get a kick out of it," she said. "I think it was more he didn't want me to be gone rather than he didn't want me to shave my head. He said, 'if you're going to look stupid, I'll still love you.'"
She laughed. "When I reminded him Coleman lost his hair, he said, 'yeah, but he didn't shave it, it fell out.' And I said, 'that's right. Some people don't have the choice. That's why Mommy's going to do it. Because some kids don't have a choice.' It's not an easy decision for me."
Still, she said, "it was so hot in school this week, I would have shaved it myself if I could have."
Larson's sister, Barbara Lein, lives in California, but will be out of state for the first few days of Larson's visit. Lein wasn't certain about the head shaving and offered to buy her sister a wig.
"She's just a real cool person," Lein said. "She's just taking a stand. They're trying to raise as much money as they can."
Larson said she isn't asking for funds, but already has had more than $2,500 donated in her name on the 46mommas.com website under "The Mommas" heading.
"If I can give my hair to spread awareness and raise money, it's a small price to pay," Larson said. "This is something I would have never dreamed of doing for any amount of money before Coleman was diagnosed. Shave my head? No way. Now I understand. Hair is just hair, it doesn't hold the importance to me it once did. It's the smile inside a person's heart that truly matters."
She remembers the family photo to be taken for church when Coleman's hair was falling out after he had finished his first chemo treatment. He and Caden had laughed and giggled while jumping into a pile of pillows in the living room, and she really wanted them to quit.
"I remember picking the pillows up off the floor and crying," she said. "The hair loss made it all so real."
But, she said, "We got the picture taken, and there sat Coleman with a big smile looking like a little Squiggy off of Lavern and Shirley. When I look at that picture now, I don't even notice his hair. His smile is all I see now - a smile that came from his heart."
And that, she added, is how she wants people to see her after the big event - with a smile that comes from her heart.
Contact Sandy Mickelson at (515) 573-2141 or smickelson@messengernews.net
