Matildas midfielder Aivi Luik shaved her head after a friendly fixture against New Zealand in a bid to help raise $30,000 for brain tumour research.

The 37-year-old’s decision follows her brother’s brain tumour diagnosis. Her 27-year-old brother, Noah Kerwick, was diagnosed with Oligodendroglioma, a type of brain tumour.

The Aussie star pledged to shave her head when her goal was met with New Zealand player and former club teammate Rebekah Stott helping her with the clippers.

Luik successfully met her $30,000 fundraising goal for the Mark Hughes foundation and went ahead with her pledge with players from the Australian and New Zealand sides supporting her from the sidelines.

Stott was a perfect choice for this gesture in more ways than one. She is a lymphoma survivor and was diagnosed with stage three cancer last February.

She underwent intensive chemotherapy for four months, effectively ending her Tokyo Olympics dreams and taking her out of domestic action as well. Through it all, she worked on raising funds and awareness about cancer.

After less than a year, she earned a callback to the Football Ferns in a remarkable turnaround.

“I thought it’d be a great idea for her to be the one to shave my head”

“Stotty is a great friend and watching her battle Hodgkin’s lymphoma with so much poise was inspiring, and I couldn’t think of a better way to honour the fight of both Noa and Stotty,” Luik said.