Early next year, Alex, now 24, will take part in the Leukaemia Foundation’s World’s Greatest Shave to celebrate the 20th anniversary of that successful surgical procedure. Mum will be right by her side.

‘‘I was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia in 1995 and was told I had five years to live if I didn’t get a bone marrow donor,’’ Mrs Morgan said.

‘‘My whole family was tested and Alex was my closest donor. Her bone marrow was ‘harvested’ at Sydney Children’s Hospital and couriered to St Vincent’s where it was given to me intravenously.

‘‘At the time, people asked me how I could let my child go through that – but my only other option was to let her grow up without a mother.

‘‘She saved my life.’’

Alex hasn’t had her long, dark hair cut for three years now, and plans to donate her hair to be made into wigs for people undergoing cancer treatment.

Despite her good intentions, she reckons she’s also got some ‘‘selfish’’ reasons for getting her head shaved.

‘‘I’ve been through some changes in my life and I wanted to shave my head to signal a new start as well,’’ she said. ‘‘Plus, I’ve always wanted to know what it feels like to go for a swim in the ocean with a bald head!’’

Alex hasn’t put a monetary goal on her fund-raising page – she just wants to raise as much as she can to support Australians with blood cancer and fund vital research.

She will join more than 150,000 Australians who are taking part in the Leukaemia Foundation’s biggest fund-raiser, being held between March 12 and 15 next year.

Both Alex and her mother work in the public health system and plan to conduct their event at Wollongong Hospital – where Mrs Morgan has worked as a haematologist for 30 years.

To support Alex, visit the site: my.leukaemiafoundation.org.au/alexmorgan