George H.W. Bush Shaves His Head to Support 2-Year-Old With Leukemia

A week ago former president George H.W. Bush had something that few 89-year-old men do, a full head of hair. A Secret Service agent took a razor and sent all that hair to the floor as the former president went bald in order to support the 2-year-old son of a Secret Service agent diagnosed with leukemia, according to the Kennebec Journal.

When Bush arrived in Maine to spend time at his summer home in Kennebunkport he had noticed a lack of hair in the member of his security detail. The whole group had shaved their heads to show solidarity with the toddler and his father, Jon.

Patrick, whose surname is being withheld from the public at the family's request, began cancer treatment in early July and had just started losing his hair.

Leukemia is a disease that the Bush family knows all too well. Sixty years ago Bush and his wife Barbara lost their 3-year-old daughter Robin to the disease, according to the Kennebec Journal.

In addition to shaving his head Bush made a donation to a fund set up to help pay for Patrick's medical bills. The website for the fund can be found at www.patrickspals.org.

"Two-year old Patrick is 'our' little guy," the website says. "Earlier this spring, Patrick was diagnosed with leukemia. While his prognosis is very positive, there will be many years of treatment ahead. We are doing what we can to show our support and lend a helping hand to this amazing family and worthy cause."

Jim McGrath, spokesman for the former president, told the Kennebec Journal that the last time that Bush shaved his head was when he first joined the Navy in 1941, after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

Bush's new haircut was greatly admired by both former president Bill Clinton and President Barack Obama over Twitter.