St. John's man and his sons go 'Pretty in Pink' for cancer awareness

St. John's man and his sons have gone "Pretty in Pink" to raise money for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.

Adam Keetch and his sons, four-year-old Elijah, and Isaac, 15, have dyed their hair pink for a month-long fundraising campaign. 

"We just thought it would be a good way to raise awareness," said Keetch. 

Keetch has participated in other cancer awareness campaigns such as Shave for the Brave and Movember, but this one had a personal connection.

"We had a bit of a scare with the wife last year and we were extremely lucky that there's no issue," Keetch told CBC's St. John's Morning Show.  "Most people are not that lucky."

'It's just exploded like we never thought it would'

Before dying his hair and starting the Facebook event page, Keetch decided it would be a good idea to contact his employer, On Side Restoration, to make sure it was okay to show up for work with pink hair.

"They jumped all over it and were very supportive so we put their name on it and started an event page," said Keetch.

The 'On Side "Pretty in PINK" for Breast Cancer Awareness' campaign has raised almost $5,000, exceeding its goal of $2,000. The campaign team has also grown with others dying their hair pink for the cause.

"It's just exploded like we never thought it would," said Keetch.

People are curious about the pink hair, said Keetch, but it usually leads to a conversation and a donation. 

His son Isaac attends Prince of Wales Collegiate in St. John's, He said the experience has been the same for him, and people like his pink locks.

"I had a couple of teachers come up and ask," said Isaac. "I'm happy being able to raise money with it."

Isaac's natural hair colour is brown and he joked that he may just keep it pink once the campaign is over.

His dad's pink hair will be shaved off by a local breast cancer survivor to mark the end of the campaign, and a presentation will be made to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation on October 30.