Medical students at the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University marked a decade of raising funds, awareness and hair for pediatric patients with cancer during the Pirates Vs. Cancer spring event at the ECU Health Sciences Campus Student Center on April 10.
Pirates Vs. Cancer is a student-driven initiative dedicated to supporting children and families facing cancer. The event is organized by a board of about 10 first-year medical students who coordinated events like hair donations, professional haircuts from local barbers and hairdressers, raffles, face-painting and family-friendly activities. Students, faculty and visitors enjoyed a bounce house and bracelet-making station donated by local businesses. The American Red Cross, National Bone Marrow Registry and Riley’s Army hosted tables with prizes, games and information for attendees.
Pirates Vs. Cancer was founded by Brody students in 2017 and has raised over $176,000 in the past 10 years for patients at the James and Connie Maynard Children’s Hospital at ECU Health Medical Center. Ahead of the April 10 event, this year’s board had already raised more than $14,000 for the cause.
Sebastian Williams, president of Pirates Vs. Cancer, said the decade-long effort is on the verge of reaching a new fundraising benchmark.
“We’re really excited because we’re hoping that we hit $200,000 of money raised for Maynard Children’s Hospital from Pirates Vs. Cancer over the years,” said Williams. “We’re almost there.”
Williams helps coordinate fundraisers throughout the year and works with local partners to support the cause. He said the event also brings together students from across ECU’s health sciences programs.
“The dental, medical, nursing students all come out and just interact with each other, take a break from studying, and also have fun with the kids and doctors,” said Williams.
Alex Tiet, Pirates Vs. Cancer’s vice president, said the annual event allows students to educate people on and off campus about pediatric cancer. He said that mission is particularly important since ECU Health serves a largely rural 29-county region in eastern North Carolina.
“We are a historically underserved and underrepresented population, so it’s great to have these student life organizations start these conversations in eastern North Carolina,” Tiet said. “As one of the largest student life organizations on campus, it feels like our responsibility to advocate for people and patients who are navigating a life-changing diagnosis that comes with its own array of challenges. Lending a helping hand feels like the least we can do.”
Williams himself was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia at age six.
“It took a huge toll on my family because my family had no history of huge medical complications, and all of a sudden I find out one day that I have cancer,” Williams said.
He underwent three years of chemotherapy – a period he described as physically and emotionally taxing. That’s why events like Pirates Vs. Cancer matter, he said.
“We have the people who have come out to donate hair, and the hair that’s donated will be used to make wigs for the kids who are going through chemo,” Williams said. “As someone who had acute lymphoblastic leukemia, I also had to go through that process as a kid where I lost all my hair.”
Williams said he opted for hats during his own treatment, but he knows how meaningful wigs can be for children who want to feel “more like their normal selves” during an incredibly difficult time.
“Having these wigs made for them just helps alleviate the stress that they’re already going through,” Williams said.
Tiet was among the students who volunteered to donate his hair to the cause. Before he sat down in the barber’s chair, he and his fellow donors were more excited than one might expect to undergo a fairly dramatic, albeit short-lived transformation.
“Pediatric cancer awareness has been a passion of mine since I was an undergraduate student, so taking a little off the top feels like a very minor sacrifice to support these patients and their families,” Tiet said. “Some of these treatments take weeks, months or even years and are very taxing on patients.
“I have not had a buzzcut since maybe middle school, so it’s going to be a change of pace,” Tiet continued. “Feeling the breeze going through my scalp will be nice. Hopefully my hair can bring a sense of normalcy to these patients. They can use it better than I can.”
One hundred percent of the funds raised by Pirates vs. Cancer are donated to the ECU Health Foundation to benefit programs at Maynard Children’s Hospital. If you would like to donate to Pirates Vs. Cancer, please visit give.ecuhealthfoundation.org/campaign/2026-pirates-vs-cancer/c758778.