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Near the end
of my radiotherapy a dear old family friend gave me $100 to go and get my hair
styled around my bald patch (from where the radio-waves had entered), a cut
that it would conceal it. I chose to go to Servilles, one of the top hair
salons in Auckland, in Mission Bay.
A lovely female
hairdresser, the head of the business, cut and styled my hair brilliantly so
that my bald patch was completely concealed. At the end of my cut she invited
to come back whenever I wanted to get a free head massage from a junior in the company,
Terry Whaitiri. I accepted the invitation and went back to the salon on a
regular basis, in spite of the great distance from my home to the salon.
A close
friendship developed between Terry and me and through his kindness I would go
and get my hair cut and dyed for a ridiculously low price for many years to
come. Those years included from 2004 – 2007 when I gained 40kg in 14 months, and
those hair styling sessions were like pure gold to me. I would often go into
the salon feeling in an utterly exhausted emotional slump but would always
leave feeling a million dollars and with my hair looking fabulous. It really
can’t be overstated the power that being made to look good has on making you
also feel better.
This I think
was the philosophy behind a charity group that was started in America in 1987called
‘Look Good, Feel Better’. This group works with women undergoing cancer
treatment, teaches the women how to apply makeup properly and pamper themselves
and then sends them away with a bag full of top of line cosmetics. ‘Look Good,
Feel Better’ was a blessing for that time. Terry Whaitiri has been a blessing,
and a friend, that I think will last for a lifetime!
Terry is now
also a makeup artist and since October 2009 has come down to my home (an hour’s
drive each way) and does my hair, gives me a full makeover and has a meal with
me. We have had many a laugh when he has done ‘themed’ makeovers and He truly is
one of the greatest blessings of these past 9 years.
Truly there
are treasures to be found in any dark roads we may have to walk down in life.
