The Greatest Woman I Know...

I just have to brag on my mom. At 50, she took a leap of faith and opened her own salon specializing in wigs for those going through cancer or other forms of hair loss. She is the salt and light to so many. She is the greatest example of a Godly woman in every aspect of life and I am so blessed to be her daughter...Anyway, here is a copy of an article published in Stylist and Salon Magazine about her salon:

How One Salon Turns Tragedy
Into Triumph
By James Giddings
You wouldn’t know you’re walking into a
refuge as you enter it, but you are. And a nice,
comfortable, encouraging refuge at that.
Walking into the inviting brick building,
you might feel like you’re visiting a friend’s
house. Once you meet the proprietor, you will
have been correct; having made a new friend
of the bubbly, cheerful lady who has offered to
greet you, Cheryll Fiorendino will make you
feel that you’ve been life-long pals.
You may not have realized it when
you started reading this article, but there’s
a good chance that if you are here to see
this happy new friend, you are in desperate
need of help, hope and comfort. And
found it you have. You see, Fiorendino’s
friendly salon cloaks her equally friendly cancer
patient beautification zone. Of course, you
may only see it called that in this article; she
calls it Wiggin’ Out.
While speaking to her one fine day in October,
which happened to be National Breast
Cancer Awareness Month, she explained that
she is the only woman in her family that hasn’t
had cancer. The disease has taken her grandmother
and her mother. Even her sister-in-law
was affected; she had lymphoma. During her
treatment, she received a wig, “but it was awful,”
confided Fiorendino.
A close friend of hers, Linda Price, also
died of cancer. Price was a happy person; during
each holiday, she would help her friends
get wigs appropriate to the theme of the
holiday, to add some extra fun and joy to the
occasion. She was also an inspirational friend
to Fiorendino, and was an excellent example
of being very active in the community. She
participated in Komen walks, Relay for Life,
would wear pink to remind people to support
cancer research, to name a few of her efforts.
She was born on the Fourth of July, and they
buried her in a red-white-and-blue wig according
to her wishes. Looking down at her
friend, she knew she could take up the fight
as well.
She decided to take up the cause by helping
women going through cancer treatment to
take back control of their appearance, to make
it easier to look just exactly as they did when
they were still healthy. On the other hand, as
she admitted, “some people prefer bizarre”
wigs and makeup to help them cope with
their treatments, which is just fine too. Her
primary goal is to help them forget about their
treatments for a little while and help them put
together a look that completely masks their
illness and helps them feel good about their
appearance during this very difficult time.
How does she accomplish it? To start, she
likes to see how they look while healthy. Some
women come in to see her before they start
treatment; some come in with photos of how
they looked prior to treatment. Then they
visit the back room, away from the distractions
of the main salon, where they make their
selection of a wig. She custom fits the wig to
the woman’s head, and they style it while she’s
wearing it so they can exactly match whatever
look they want.
The goal here, however, is not to gain
a new salon client. Women going through
cancer treatment are often self-conscious
about their changing appearance—even when
it comes to visiting their regular stylist. Here,
they can seek assistance while they need special
help, with the full expectation of returning
to their regular stylist when they are feeling
better.
She doesn’t just stop there. In the rare case
that a woman’s insurance will cover wigs and
cosmetic treatments during therapy, she also
helps them apply for their benefits. In addition,
the salon is in the process of getting set
up to accept Medicare clients. It’s not an easy
process, but Fiorendino remembers the time
during her mother’s cancer that her family
depended on Medicare to get the help she
needed, and she wants to be there for those
who depend on it as her family did.
At Wiggin’ Out, women can also benefit
from Fiorendino’s research into masking
the changing hues of the skin under their
eyes—and other obvious signs of treatment—
as their treatments progress. They can even do
mastectomy fittings.
She expects to have her certification and
accreditation by the beginning of the new year.
Could your salon offer a similar service in
your area?
For advice on how your salon can get started helping cancer patients, call
Cheryll Fiorendino at 972-436-9447 or visit wiggin-out.net.