Thomas Webb, shown with his teacher Stefani Jubelt, shaved his head to help a classmate cope with cancer. A member of St. Mary’s Parish in Edwardsville, Thomas is in fifth grade at Woodland Elementary School. Edwardsville — Thomas Webb, a fifth-grader from St. Mary Parish in Edwardsville, has become known as a hero in his own right at his parish and at Woodland Elementary School. Last month Thomas, with permission from his parents Kevin and Sue Webb, had his head shaved to stand in solidarity with a classmate who was suffering from a rare form of cancer.

 

Earlier this school year, Thomas and his friends wondered why their classmate, Jordan, was missing from school. Their teacher, Stefani Jubelt, explained that Jordan “had some tumors in his body.” When the boy returned to school after his treatments, he had lost his hair because of the chemotherapy.

Thomas noticed some of the children were staring in curiosity and he thought that must have made Jordan feel even more uncomfortable. That’s when Thomas asked his parents if he could shave off all of his own hair to help Jordan “mentally go through all the stuff that’s happening to him now.”

“He came home and wanted to do that right away,” said Sue Webb, who also teaches PSR at St. Mary’s. “But we had him wait a couple of weeks. We wanted to make sure his priorities were straight and this was really for Jordan. After awhile he still wanted to, so that’s what we did.”

Kevin Webb, who is chairman of the St. Mary’s parish council, and Sue, spent a Tuesday night shaving Thomas’ head in the family’s garage. They used five different razors to complete the job while Thomas’ younger sister videotaped the experience and his younger brother watched.

“He had the typical fifth-grade boy shaggy hair,” said Sue, who said she hadn’t seen her son without hair since he was about 8 months old. “That first night was rough, once it was done.”

The next day, Thomas went off to school as usual, sporting a stocking cap, his mother said. However, at a Wednesday morning assembly, Thomas stood in front of the entire student body — about 480 students and their teachers — and read a speech he had written to help his schoolmates understand Jordan’s dilemma. When the speech was over, Thomas removed the hat to reveal his own bald head.

“It was really sweet,” said Sue, who still gets emotional when she remembers that day.

The boys’ teacher, who was equally touched, then further explained the importance of what Thomas had done to help Jordan, who was very sick from the cancer and the chemotherapy treatments. Principal Tara Fox said Thomas taught the students “a huge lesson about compassion and friendship.”

It’s been a month since the Webbs shaved Thomas’ head and his hair has begun to grow back now. Jordan’s cancer is currently in remission, even though he has been staying home from school until he grows stronger. A special account, Jordan’s Cancer Fund, has been established at Associated Bank in Glen Carbon, Sue said.

“This is all Tom. It wasn’t our idea,” Sue said, adding that she really wasn’t surprised by the stance young Thomas took for a classmate. “He’s always been a compassionate boy. My husband and I are very proud of him.”