Normally medical students at Des Moines University spend time in the class room learning how to help treat cancer, but Thursday they showed their support for those battling the disease.

Doctors told Mikayla Rickgraph she had only a 30 percent chance to live after being diagnosed with bone cancer.

“After I had tons of scans, after tons of doctor visits, after tons of painful needles, in Iowa City we found the culprit,” Rickgraph explained.

Its stories like these that make people wanna help…

“It’s the least I can do to make the choice to shave my head for those that never got the chance to make the choice,” Jim Yacko said.

People like Jim Yacko, a maintenance worker at DMU for the past 32 years. Once he heard about the fundraiser he wanted to help out.

“Well it all started on a whim, I called one of my nephews up north and asked him how much he would pay to see me go bald and he said, I’d pay 50 dollars,” Yacko told Channel 13.

He joined nearly 70 other DMU students choosing to snip off their hair to save a life and raise a lot of money.

$17,500 to be exact.

It wasn’t just a haircut for Yacko, he had been growing his hair out for 9 years.

He says he’ll miss his long locks, but it’s worth it for kids like Mikayla.

“With these children and young adults with cancer they don’t have chances. Mine will grow back, there’s no problem there, I feel happy and I’m glad I’m helping them,” he said.

The money raised at the event will go towards the St. Baldrick’s foundation for pediatric cancer.