I keep telling myself to just sit down and post this blog for the past two weeks. Somehow I never seem to do it. It isn't that I am so busy I can't take 20 minutes out of my day, half the night I am on facebook just wondering around on people's walls! LOL
But I do have something very important to talk about which is effects everyone in the world....
With October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month it makes all of us stop and think about our loved ones or friends who have been affected with this disease. On a not so serious side note I love the color PINK so I can stock up on a bunch of super cute pink gadgets for work (pink combs, clippers, cape, apron and I can go on and on).With buying all this stuff I support Breast Cancer and I get my pink fix! Really Breast Cancer is a horrible disease that no one should ever have to go through.
Just these past two months I have had my best friend's mom,JoAnn, and a very dear client of mine diagnosed with B.C. Both of these woman have the same type of cancer and only about 2 weeks apart of treatment plans. About two and half months ago when my client, Beth, told me she was going in for a mammogram we thought everything was fine because it always was. She called me about 3 days later and told me the horrible news. Then 2 weeks after that was her first surgery. Now let me tell you a little about Beth. She is a hard worker,upbeat, funny, sarcastic, sweet, caring, wife, mother, and grandma. Beth is always great to be around and she has one of those I don't really care what you think attitude! When I started to do her hair I could tell she was a worrier, she gave herself a bald spot at the back of her head over it. But through all of this hardship that has been thrown her way she seems to stay as strong as she can. Even when she was telling me everything her doctors had said and her treatment plans she stayed clam and focused. I just stood there in shock, I mean what do you say to someone who has stage 3 Breast Cancer. I knew what was coming ahead of her because my Granny (dad's mom) had cancer her whole life. She fought it for what I think was 17 years on and off... she passed away when I was in sixth grade. That is the only thing I could tell Beth. "Well my Granny had it, fought for 17 years you'll be ok"... but at the same time I wasn't thinking everyone is so different and there is so many different types of cancer.
Well what you do you know Beth, the fighter and Miss Attitude came right out and she said from the beginning she was going to win. I had given her two haircuts before her first Chemo treatments so I didn't know how her first round of chemo went. She called me after her first treatment and told me she was coming in. I figured it was for a haircut. She has a really short spiky funky hair cut which needs to keep trimmed about every 4 weeks. Beth walked through the front door and she looked great! I gave her a huge hug as I looked at the back of her head there it was... the horrible sign of Chemotherapy. She ran her fingers through her hair, looked at me and said "You have to shave it" as her hair fell to the floor. She told me when her hair started to fall out she was just going to shave it because she didn't want her pillow to look like a shedding dog had slept on it. At that time we just laughed about it but now it was real. I was scared, sad, and so proud of her all at the same time. I walked her back to my chair and put the cape on her. "You ready..." is all I said. I knew I had to stay strong for her, she needed me to, but as soon as I got to second swipe of the clippers (which are BC support Pink) I totally lost it. I looked in the mirror at her and she was still good just staring at me and with a nod of her head I knew to keep going. Beth didn't make it much longer without shedding a tear either but by the time I was done I think we were both were shaking from trying to hold the wales of sadness back. The whole time I wanted to scream "THIS ISN"T FAIR"
I turned the clippers off and kissed her check and gave her a hug. Beth said " Will you just put that stinking wig on me now!" We both laughed and dried our eyes as I reached for her wig. Beth got a wig from a B.C support group in Bentonville. The wig was o.k but not anything like her hair.. the color, texture, and cut were totally different and it looked like a wig. Right then I knew I had to find her a different more "Beth like" wig.
You see Beth told me before that her birthday was coming up and not only does she have Breast Cancer this year she was going to have a Chemo treatment on her birthday. I couldn't bare the thought of having to sit all day getting treatment on my birthday and on top of that being bald! I found her a great "Rene of Pairs" wig that was her haircut and color. The best part of it was only 60.00 bucks and 7 dollars shipping. I had Beth come up to the shop to make sure she liked it.
Yesterday, I got to place that new wig on her head. She had a smile from ear to ear when I got it all fitted. We had to trim a little for the bang area but other than that is was perfect!
You know you hear and watch all these stories of deserving people and I wonder how I can be a part of it.... I think that was one of my best days of work in all 6 years of doing hair. I knew I got into hair to make woman feel better about themselves I didn't do it for the money and long hours! I knew as I watched Beth walk out of the salon she had a pep in her step and a smile that was well needed.
A few weeks ago at Church our Pastor asked us "How do you think God wants to use you. How can we serve Him" I knew right away how God uses me. I think God put it in my head at a little girl that this is what I need to do. I have never really wanted to do anything other than hair and be a mommy! I know God uses me everyday to be a witness for Him. I just need to shine a little brighter for Him sometimes! It is hard to be a witness for God when you are in a public service business, in school one of the first things they teach you is not to talk about "Money, Religion, and Politics".
I have found ways to be a good servant without throwing religion at clients, but on the other hand I now live in the Bible Belt so I can get away with it a little more!
I just want everyone to stop and think about all of those who have lost, survied, or is fighting against Breast Cancer. This shouldn't just be the month of October it should be everyday day. At least we have a whole month to change a life.
