A DIANELLA teenager has raised more than $4000 for Alzheimer’s Australia and also awareness of dementia in a tribute to his grandmother who suffered from the disease.
Julian Kesacoff cut his hair for the first time in six years on Sunday, exceeding his fundraising goal and raising $4200 for the cause. He said his grandmother, Raymah Rappeport, had dementia in the last few years of her life and passed away in April.
“She was such a giving person, would have been so proud,” Julian said.
“The haircut doesn’t look as bad as I expected, but even if it did it would have been worth it to see how happy Grandpa and Mum and Dad were.”
He said his grandfather had been very happy to see all of the support and also how much his wife had positively affected others.
The Curtin University physiotherapy student said he had received strong support from Forrestfield United soccer club, Kleenheat Gas in Balcatta and also from friends and family.
Julian said it had been tough to watch his grandmother suffer from dementia, as she was not the same lively person she used to be.
“I thought if I could do anything to prevent someone else from going through that, I would,” he said.
“It meant more to do that than to keep my hair.”