Michael Hurley’s beard is gone and a young family now has more than $35,000 to help make their life together a little easier.

The Bombers All-Australian defender shed his facial fleece today.

Hurley has been raising money for Rye Johnson, a five year old who suffers from cerebral palsy.

“It’s not really (about) me.  The guys at the Shaver Shop have donated $10,000 which is fantastic, the community, my friends and family have all donated money and were really kind,” Hurley said.

“It’s going to take a little bit of getting used to.  I didn’t really remember what I looked like; it has been so long without a clean-shaven face.

“Hopefully moving forward it can make Rye’s life and his family’s life a little bit easier.

“You can never really understand what they have to go through day to day, so to be able to help in a little way – I’m proud of what’s happened.”

The funds raised will be used to buy a special bed that will make transporting Rye easier and also ensure his safety.

“It’s absolutely amazing, we can’t thank them enough, it’s totally overwhelming,” Rye’s mother Brooke Johnson said. 

“It means we’ll be able to sleep at night with the piece of mind that he won’t hurt himself.

“He (Hurley) is just amazing.  He’s the most caring and generous person we’ve met and he was beautiful with Rye when he first met him and Rye just loved him.”

Hurley has had a long association with the MAD Foundation.  Last year he raised money to help the family of a four-year-old cerebral palsy sufferer pay for a bed and hoist.

“That’s the beauty of the MAD Foundation.  They find specific families and specific kids that need help,” Hurley said.

“For Rye (this year) it’s a new bed, for the next kid it’s something else.

“We were lucky enough to raise probably double what we were expecting to raise… I’m really happy about that.”