In an effort to raise awareness for multiple sclerosis, Wisconsin sophomore forward Mike Bruesewitz shaved his trademark red curly hair Wednesday during “Wake Up Wisconsin” on Madison’s WKOW-TV.
Bruesewitz partnered with the National MS Society to raise money and awareness for those with multiple sclerosis. The goal is to raise a minimum of $3,100 dollars, which reflects the sophomore guards’ jersey No. 31.
“This was a good way to do [a haircut],” Bruesewitz said. “Trying to make $3,100 dollars is pretty good.”
During the Badgers’ recent March Madness run to the Sweet 16, Bruesewitz and his hair received a lot of attention from TV announcers, and the sophomore saw an opportunity to support a good cause.
“My hair gets a lot of attention, but I’m hoping to bring awareness to a much more serious subject,” Bruesewitz said.
“A couple people asked me if I could do something else for [my hair] since I received a lot of notoriety for it this year. There’s a big MS walk coming up, and MS affects a lot of people. It’s affected a little bit of my family and a lot of my friends’ families.”
Multiple sclerosis is a debilitating disease that affects the central nervous system and can cause hearing loss, blindness and even paralysis. It affects more than 400,000 people across the country. Nearly one in every 500 Wisconsin residents live with MS. The cost of living with MS can be expensive. The average cost for an individual living with MS is $69,000.
“It’s a challenging condition that affects peoples’ lives on a daily basis,” Bruesewitz said. “I’m honored to anything I can to make a difference.”
Shaving Bruesewitz’s head was teammate Jon Leuer, who gladly accepted the supporting role.
“[Bruesewitz] just asked me if I wanted to help him out, and it was for a good cause,” Leuer said. “I figured I could do my part.”
After the haircut was finally over, Bruesewitz had no regrets about parting ways with his trademark hairstyle.
“I’m happy to be a normal human being again and not have a big red afro,” Bruesewitz said. “It was fun while it lasted. It might come back eventually; we’ll see.”
While no cure has been found for MS, extensive research is being done to find treatments and hopefully a cure one day.
Every hour of every day, someone is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. To support Bruesewitz’s efforts towards MS research, donations are being accepted at wisMS.org.