The City of Tomball’s emergency crews and first responders, members of it’s police, fire and emergency medical services team, have long been considered one of the finest in the Houston area, and now they are showing that not only do they work well together, they support each other through the tough times, as well.

Sherine Amandollahi has served as a dispatcher for the Tomball Police Department for six years, while at the same time pursuing a nursing degree from Lone Star College-Tomball.  On Aug. 30, her doctors discovered Amandollahi was suffering from Stage 4 Metastic Breast Cancer.

Amandollahi, 29, began radiation therapy immediately and while doctors have told her that her body has responded favorably to the three treatments she has undergone so far, Amandollahi has suffered one of the unfortunate side effects of cancer treatment: losing her hair.

A few of Amandollahi’s close friends at the Tomball Police Department decided that, in a show of support, they would shave their heads so that their friend would not go through her ordeal alone.

The idea caught on, and soon nearly the entire Police Department agreed to shave their heads, as well. But the movement didn’t stop there. “Team Sherine,” as the efforts have now been called, spread to the Tomball Fire Department and Northwest EMS, with employees and volunteers each agreeing shave their locks in support of one of their own.

“Everyone just thought, if she can lose her hair, we can lose ours,” Amandollahi’s close friend, Brittni Ortega, also a dispatcher at the department, said.

On Oct. 17, members of Tomball’s first responder units, the Tomball PD, NWEMS and the Tomball Fire Department, gathered at the Tomball Police Department to get the shave.

While the event was not considered a fundraiser, Ortega said several “Team Sherine” items were for sale, with the money going towards Amandollahi’s medical care.

Those items are still available for purchase as Amandollahi fights to get healthy and back to her two jobs at Tomball PD and St. Lukes The Woodlands, where she is a full-time nurse.

Ortega said some of the items to purchase include “Team Sherine” T-shirts, pins, car decals and bracelets. Ortega said those who could not attend the head-shaving event can drop by the Tomball Police Department and make a donation.

The event was sponsored by the Tomball Police Officers Association.

For more information, call the Tomball Police Department at 281-351-5451.

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