ALTHOUGH she’s only ten-years-old, Maggie Schnieder dreams of becoming an oncologist.
She spends her spare time with her nose stuck in books on medicine and science.
While she’s too young to save people’s lives right now, she decided she’d do what she could to help those fighting cancer and signed up for The World’s Greatest Shave.
But as she sat on the stage, with her long blonde hair in braids, and the clippers whirring her thoughts were only of her beloved father, Matthew, who tragically lost his life to bowel cancer two years ago at just 39-years-old.
Not only was the Year Five Tamborine Mountain Primary school student the only student to bravely get up on stage and shave her hair, she has also raised the most money in Australia – currently more than $32,000.
In recognition of her achievement, David Hancock from the Leukemia Foundation attended the event at the primary school to personally offer his congratulations to Maggie.
Maggie said she is shocked and proud of how much she has been able to raise.
“We thought we’d aim for $10,000 at first, but decided to keep it realistic knowing money is tight for people, but she hit $5000 within a couple of days,” Mum Sam said.
“No one has ever raised that much money in such a quick period of time in the history of the event, let alone someone so young raise that amount of money.”
“I’m so proud of her courage, her empathy, her determination and the selflessness of her decision to give something of herself for the benefit of others. She’s an inspiration.”
“I wanted to do it for the memory of my dad and for my cousin,” Maggie said, revealing her three-year-old cousin is battling leukemia.
“It was bad,” she said when she found out her father had cancer.
Losing her father changed her life completely.
“Before dad was diagnosed, I didn’t know much about cancer, now I want to be an oncologist when I’m older.
“I find it terrible that people can get it and there is nothing to cure it.
“It’s fascinating people are working on a cure for it. They put a lot of work into finding a cure and I hope the money I have raised will help with that.”
And for now, she’s enjoying the extra 30 minutes a day she has not having to do her hair.
Donations for Maggie’s fundraising can still be made via The World’s Greatest Shave website.
