SEEING her son go through chemotherapy is the inspiration behind Holly Ross’s World’s Greatest Shave event at Boyanup Primary School next week.

Lachlan was only two years old when Holly realised something was wrong.

He slept 16 hours a day, had headaches, was sensitive to bright light and was drinking up to five litres of water a day.

After 18 months of visiting different doctors, Lachlan was finally diagnosed with diabetes insipidus and a growth hormone deficiency.

But even more frighteningly, he was found to have Langerhans Cell Histiocytocis, a rare blood condition occurring in only one in eight million people.

His condition caused five tumours in his skull and he was immediately started on chemotherapy.

“It was a pretty hard time,” said Holly.

“I think when you go through it you run on autopilot and you can’t show you’re sad or scared or hurt for their sake.

“It’s one of the most stressful, painful things in your life to see your child go through something like this and there’s nothing you can do to help them.”

Holly said the worst time came when it took nine attempts to get the needle into Lachlan’s vein for his chemotherapy because they had been left so damaged by the treatment.

Today, Lachlan is in Year 1 and, apart from medication to treat his diabetes and being slightly small for his age, appears to be overcoming his condition.

Holly’s experience inspired her to shave her hair at last year’s shave event, raising nearly $5000 for the Leukaemia Foundation.

“Lachlan went through chemo so losing my hair was nothing compared to what these kids go through,” she said.

Now this year, she is coordinating a World’s Greatest Shave event at Lachlan’s school with students, parents and the community encouraged to colour their hair and enjoy a sausage sizzle.

The event will be held at Boyanup Primary School on Friday March 14 from 12.40pm to 1.30pm.

For more information on a Shave event near you or to donate visit www.worldsgreatestshave.com or phone 1800 500 088.