Bald is beautiful! Badgers football players have their heads shaved for a very good cause

MADISON (WITI) -- You've heard the saying - bald is beautiful. That's never more true than when you lose your hair by your own choice for a great cause.

Spring practice is right around the corner for Paul Chryst's Badgers football players, and these next few weeks are all about preparing and conditioning. But on Monday, February 16th, the players were the ones getting a lesson about strength with a much deeper meaning.

"We are lucky enough to play football and some of these kids look up to us, but they can teach us more than we teach them," Badgers offensive linebacker Joe Schobert said.

The Badgers hosted pediatric cancer patients from the American Family Children's Hospital who were given the honors -- and the clippers! They helped Badgers players lose their hair for childhood cancer awareness.

For most of these families, the visit to Camp Randall Stadium was a much needed break from the all too familiar scene they're used to.

"It's hard on them, and some of them don't want to leave the house or their hospital beds. This gives them some excitement and something to look forward to," a parent said.

"He just had a bone marrow transplant, so it's pretty limited as to what he can do, but this is great, and it's for a cause you can see, but it was also a chance for these children to see that they are not alone in their fight," Heather Vanderkin said.

"The journey that these kids have been on is hard, but I could tell it means a lot to these players," Dave Vanderkin said.

"Losing his hair was really hard, and to see them doing something like this was great," a parent said.

"Someone else is like them. It's important to feel like a part of something," a parent said.

Watching their long locks fall to the ground was a price to pay for some players. Losing the hair was the best and worst part, but it was worthwhile in the end.

"To see the smiles on their faces was really cool. It makes me happy to see this. You know, something so small can bring so much joy to someone. It's awesome," Badgers kicker Andrew Endicott said.

"It's special to be a part of it and I'm just glad they could come here and have a good time. Just a little sacrifice for what they do every single day," Badgers offensive linebacker Vince Biegel said.

CLICK HERE if you're interested in making a donation in support of childhood cancer research and the services provided by American Family Children's Hospital.