For Melbourne City duo James Jeggo and Rebekah Stott, both blood cancer survivors, the message that a cancer diagnosis doesn't have to define your life is one close to their hearts.
Stott and Jeggo both dyed their hair blue on Tuesday in support of the Leukaemia Foundation's World's Greatest Shave initiative, which encourages people to sign up to shave, cut or colour their hair in March to fund blood cancer research and support.
Jeggo, 32, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia as a 15-year-old and underwent a course of treatment that saw him hospitalised to receive chemotherapy for three weeks at a time, going home for a week or two to recover, before returning to do it all again.
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Little rituals would emerge during this period -- Mario Kart on the portable Nintendo 64 the hospital ward, and a cheeseburger from the downstairs McDonalds his first meal when he felt like eating again, helping him put some of the weight back on that he lost -- and after eight months, he was in remission and able to resume his footballing career.
In the years since, Jeggo has been capped 15 times by the Socceroos, won an FFA Cup with Adelaide United and an Austrian Cup with Sturm Graz, and had stints in Belgium, Greece, and Scotland.
"People get obstacles in their life all the time, whether it be something like cancer or other things," he told ESPN. "None of these things have to define in which direction your life goes or what you're capable of.
"That's why me and Stotty wanted to take part ... because even though it's a really tough period and something that no one wants to go through, there's still so much that you're able to do and so much to look forward to.
"What you've gone through doesn't have to define you in terms of what you want to do in your life and who you are as a person."
Stott, 30, was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma in March 2021, undergoing several months of treatment at Melbourne's Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre before going into remission that July.
With the football community rallying behind her, the defender documented her journey across social media and on her beat it. by Stotty website, through which she also designed a backpack filled with items useful for those, especially young people, undergoing cancer treatment.
She has since partnered with Canteen Australia to distribute the packs, free of charge, to patients being treated in Youth Cancer Services treatment centres across Australia.
On Tuesday, she and Jeggo helped high schoolers Daisy and Amelie shave their heads, who both raised money with their generous act and donated their shorn locks to create wigs for cancer patients.
"I think it will always be a part of who I am," Stott told ESPN. "And if I can raise awareness and raise some money along the way, I'm definitely going to do that. Try and help people.
"[Daisy and Amelie] are so brave. I had a good chat with them and what amazing young kids, they are definitely going to be great leaders and go on to do great things. It's just so brave to do something so incredible just to help people.
"For me, going through what I went through the support [from the community] that I received was incredible and it helped me so much.
"So to be able to do our bit and give back to people who have helped us, helped us in the past. It's special, we just hope that we can help make a difference."
The Australian government estimated that around 19,500 people were diagnosed with blood cancer in 2023, roughly one person every half an hour. Covering cancer types such as leukaemia, lymphoma and myeloma, they make up 12% of all cancer cases but 38% of cancer cases in those, like Jeggo was at the time of diagnosis, aged 0-19.
Leukaemia Foundation CEO Chris Tanti said one of the main focus points of his organisation, beyond their usual efforts, was increasing equitable access to treatments for those outside major population centres.
"If you're living in remote Australia or regional Australia, you are less likely to survive a blood cancer," he said. "And we want to even that playing field a bit."