Minnesota dad cutting his hair to raise money for Rett Syndrome research
Chuck Evert grew out his hair during the pandemic and now will be cutting his locks as part of a fundraiser for research for Rett Syndrome.
FARIBAULT, Minn. (FOX 9) - Chuck Evert has been growing his hair for the last 14 months. While he jokes that it primarily is to annoy his wife, he adds that mandatory shutdowns due to the pandemic also played a role.
His long hair has allowed him to transform into some of pop culture’s best, including Chuck "Doc Brown" Evert to resemble the fictional character in the Back to the Future franchise, and "Chuck The Sequel Evert" - a play from the movie "Dumb and Dumber."
His family and friends are tired of the longer hair, but Evert says he didn’t want to cut it off without something in exchange.
"It was my wife’s idea," he told FOX 9. "I told her this stuff has to go because it starts getting warm. She said, ‘Maybe we should do a fundraiser.'"
Now, he’s raising money in honor of his daughter who was diagnosed with Rett Syndrome at two years old. Rett Syndrome is a rare genetic neurological disorder order that impacts a child’s development. According to the International Rett Syndrome Foundation, it affects 1 in 10,000 females and is even more rare in males.
"There are about 8,000 cases in the United States," Evert wrote online for the fundraiser called Chuck’s Cut For Rett. "The gene in question plays a key role in babies’ development. When that gene cannot function properly the child cannot meet their milestones. This means that my daughter is non-verbal, has no purposeful hand skills, and cannot walk without assistance."
The money raised will go to Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare in Saint Paul – a hospital very special to the Everts.
"They are a huge part of our family," said Evert. "It’s like a family reunion rather than going to the doctor."
When the Everts’ daughter was diagnosed in 2000, Evert said the only clinic in the United States that specialized in Rett Syndrome was Baylor University in Texas. Today, it is known as only one of 14 hospitals designated a Clinical Research Center of Excellence by the Rett Syndrome Foundation.
"Gillette is a center of excellence for Rett Syndrome. They have been here through our entire journey as our daughter is 23 now," he said.
Evert told his family if he raised $2,000, then he would cut his hair. Word got around and he raised four times the amount and now has more than $8,600 to donate to the hospital.
And while he’s losing what he calls the "man bun," he’s gaining so much more for research for children like his daughter.
"I can’t say enough about the people who supported us during this," Evert said emotionally. "It’s pretty cool."
The big chop haircut will take place on July 1 at 6:15 pm. You can watch it live on Facebook.