How A Routine Head Shave Turned Into A Lifesaving Service

Read This Feel-Good Story About A Stylist Who Saved Her Client’s Life

You may be a hairstylist by profession, but you do more than cut and color hair. You give clients confidence. You help clients look 10 years younger. You teach clients how to embrace gray. You let clients vent about anything from bad roommates to annoying partners. But most importantly, you become an important part of their lives outside of the salon. Keep scrolling to read the heartwarming story about how one Sport Clips stylist saved her longtime client’s life by pointing out a spot on his ear. 

George D. Murray has been getting his hair cut at the Sport Clips located at 360A Cooley St. in Springfield, Mass. since it opened in early 2017 and after his second or third visit, he became a regular of Christina Daviaux.

In May 2019, George took part in a Saint Baldrick’s fundraiser, raising money to help scientists find a cure for kids battling cancer. Little did George know that shaving his head in hopes of saving the lives of so many kids would also save his own life.

Although Christina was not scheduled to work that day, George asked if she’d be willing to do his charity cut—and she did, without hesitation.

“At that time, Christina mentioned that she saw something strange (a discoloration) on the back of my right ear and suggested I get it checked,” shares George in an email to the Sport Clips team.

When George’s dermatologist did a biopsy, the results came back positive for melanoma, a type of skin cancer that can be life-threatening if untreated. 

The next step was to get his ear looked at by a surgeon, so George made an appointment to see one at the West Roxbury VA Medical Center in Boston where an operation date was quickly scheduled.

On July 16, 2019, George had surgery to remove part of his ear and to remove the nodes right down his neck to check for possible spreading.

“I just got the results this past Friday and thanks to your stylist (my stylist) Christina Daviaux, I am clean and require no more than follow-ups at this point,” George shared in the email.

Have a great week behind the chair, hair friends! And remember, you are more than just a stylist to your clients and to us, too! ❤️