Be Not Afraid

by Celia C.

 

That is the theme of my life!

I have been a hairdresser for 50 years (from this year, July 2020). I have experienced many pandemics. just to name a few... in 1968, the Hong Kong Flu virus known as the black death. In 1981, HIV aids. 75 million contracted HIV and 32 million died, among those were many coworkers who died and stylist that were famous in my industry. This was devastating for me. Then in 1976 we experienced the Ebola pandemic. More recent, we've had to deal with the Zika virus, Ebola again, SARS and the Swine Flu pandemic.

This virus, has been the worst, by far, for me.

I just wanted to let people know what I experienced , this was not the first virus!

The HIV was terrifying because a client who worked at the Red Cross gave classes on aids and she took in a young Mexican girl who had both parents contract aids and died! She asked me to do her hair, I had no problem with it, but she became a symbol and became an educator to kids, everyone at the time were scared to be around anyone who had it! Now she was known by everyone and she was in our salon!!!

I too had to learn you couldn’t catch it casually, but as the media had this little girl with courage speaking out everywhere I began to educate my clients they would be fine, it was the fear of the unknown!

The other pandemics were about using common sense! The state board would constantly send out letters on educating us!

Have you ever heard of the TV show called "Monk?" He became my hero through all these pandemics because he used common sense even though he was a little bit overboard he made sense just using wipes over everything, washing your hands, etc. etc.

My friends started calling me Monk (you need humor in every situation!) So this next virus came along and this one was so different! March 18 at midnight all unessential businesses were to be closed down! Churches were not essential!!! What???? Hair salons not essential!!!

What was shocking was that liquor stores and abortion clinics were essential!!

The fact that churches were going to be closed made me furious!!! I lived through all those deadly pandemics and always had my church and now we are closing churches!!

We should be flooding our churches! I started calling my friends in disbelief, yes it was true! Ugh, I was like frozen in time!

So I crammed all my clients in one day before we officially closed the next day!

So after two weeks being home, I found I had time to get so much work done. I had a revelation, I had never been home two weeks since I had my son 39 years ago!

My profession, if we do not work we have no insurance or income! So I always have worked, for 12 years I traveled all over the world for professional education and not just for fun! I do believe I was a workaholic because I loved (and love) what I do.... hair! Now how was I ever going to stay home through this pandemic!!!

I am considered a high risk patient because 4 years ago I nearly died of Ipanema. What that means is it is an infection along the lining of my lungs caused by the first five years of my profession when I was exposed to the second-hand smoke from my customers who could smoke while I worked on them and then on top of that the strong bleach and hair color and hair spray that we were exposed to started an infection in my lungs along the lining of my lungs. I had taken care of my elderly father for three years with very little sleep and all this exhaustion and lack of sleep infested the Ipanema in my lungs and they had told me after my dad died if I didn’t have the emergency surgery that I would have died in three days. After that I became very cautious of anything or anyone that was sick. I couldn’t be around anybody or I might get sick again.

Well, my clients were freaking out... they started calling me and asking me if I was doing ok, and was I scared??? Uh no.... I never even gave it a second thought!

My only goal was how am I going to stay home?! I signed up for lots of hair color classes and even took a 3-hour class on disinfectants.

I was ready to go back to work week 3!!!

Ok here is the reason that I have no fear of anything. When I was married and 7 months pregnant and my ex-husband had an affair and decided to leave me... it could have not been anymore terrifying!!! So, I would say I am a survivor!

I found God even though I was Catholic, I never knew him intimately until now! Pain is the greatest gift!

I found that going to daily mass helped me face ANYTHING!

I was (at that time) a private person and well known among my peers! So my life suddenly changed for the better! I found that God gave me strength and an inner peace I have never had! He became the boss of me and I learned to LISTEN to Him alone!

I know my mission now and it is to help makeovers for not only hair but also for the soul! Inner peace and hope are what is needed and only God can get us through these trials!