Thoughts of his late wife will be in Adam Ducre's mind as more than 30 years of growth are shaved from his chin in memory of her.
Jenny Pachoud-Ducre died at the Australian Peter McCallum Clinic on April 1, 2007 after a long battle with endometrial cancer.
She was an Australian citizen who had gone home for treatment after Kiwi doctors couldn't do any more for her. The couple had been together for 19 years.
Mr Ducre, from Mamaku, went to Australia to visit her three weeks before she died when doctors told them there was nothing more they could do. He stayed until she died.
"They basically said it was all over," he said.
Four days before she died, they married in the hospital chapel.
It had been a really difficult time, Mr Ducre said. "It was so frustrating. I felt so helpless not being able to do anything for her."
He had since married Leish, but not a day went by he didn't think about Jenny, Mr Ducre said.
"She was such a big part of my life for so long ... The past is the past," he said.
He hopes a cure for cancer is found so no other person has to go through losing a loved one to the illness.
"It's the biggest epidemic this country is facing," he said.
He can't stand people who talk about doing something but never do.
"I despise people who talk but do nothing."
So he's decided to put his words into action and shave off his hair and beard on Saturday and has already raised $500 for Leukaemia New Zealand.
"I've never done this before," he said.
His wife, Leish, has bought him a Smurf hat to wear.
"It will feel a bit weird but it will grow back or fall out altogether ... I've got no excuses. I've got a few hats and a full balaclava or the Smurf hat," he said.
New Zealand Leukaemia and Blood Cancer Society spokeswoman Georgie Hackett said every day in New Zealand six people were diagnosed with some form of blood cancer.
Shave for a Cure was a great way of supporting those with the disease as many patients lost their hair during treatment, she said. "It's a great way to show solidarity," she said.
About $1.2 million was collected annually in New Zealand through Shave for a Cure, and already this year $930,000 had been raised, Ms Hackett said. "We are tracking absolutely brilliantly this year," she said.
Money raised was used for research and to support families and patients with blood cancers as well as support awareness days and advocating for patients, Ms Hackett said.
"We don't receive any government funding at all but we do a lot of awareness work," she said. They were extremely grateful to those who supported the work they do by shaving or financially supporting those taking part. "We couldn't do the job we do without their support," she said.