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Restaurant owner gets a new ‘do’ for cancer awareness
Barber John LeMelle shaves Sandy's Original 101 Omelets owner Sandy Calvert at a breast cancer fundraiser at the Fairfield restaurant Saturday. (Robinson Kuntz/Daily Republic)
FAIRFIELD — Sandy Calvert sat still in a chair as barber John LeMelle slowly chopped off her hair.
Tears began to well up in her eyes when her sister, Lynn Bazan, put her hand on her shoulder and told Calvert, “You’re going to look great.”
Calvert, the owner of Sandy’s 101 Omelets, shaved her head in front of a packed crowd at her restaurant Saturday to raise awareness for breast cancer. The restaurant also held a potluck dinner and silent auction to fundraise for the local nonprofit Pink Lemonade and for the family of Renee Prusso. Prusso died from breast cancer in December.
Among the dozens who showed up in support, Calvert’s friend and co-worker Phena Ross cheered on Calvert as the hair came off.
“She looks so good,” Ross said.
Calvert said the idea was inspired by her sister, Bazan, who has been battling breast cancer for the past four years. Bazan said losing her hair was one of the hardest parts of dealing with chemotherapy.
“Losing my hair was devastating,” she said. “For me it’s a vanity thing.”
Calvert said she saw how hard this was on her sister and wanted to offer support.
“I would shave my hair for her in a heart beat,” Calvert said.
Calvert started working on the fundraiser three weeks ago. She partnered with Pink Lemonade founder Donna Quintero to organize the event. Quintero founded her Fairfield-based nonprofit less than a year ago after facing her own battle with breast cancer. Her organization offers free services to people dealing with cancer, such as mowing a lawn once a week or providing meals.
Quintero provided the Prusso family with free meals while Renee Prusso went through chemotherapy. Part of the money raised through the fundraiser will go to Prusso’s four children.
Calvert and Quintero both hope that their efforts help raise the community’s awareness of those affected by breast cancer each year.
“There can’t be enough done to raise awareness and raise money,” Quintero.
To learn more about Pink Lemonade, visit www.pink-lemonade.org.
Reach Heather Ah San at 427-6977 or hahsan@dailyrepublic.net. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/HeatherMalia.
Heather Ah San
Discussion | 6 comments
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Ed ShelterFebruary 24, 2013 - 8:06 am
I'm tired with people indulging their secret fantasies and then attributing it to cancer awareness. Henceforth I will no longer sit still while this occurs. I am serving notice here and now that Sandy's 101 Omelets will cease to get a dime more from me. You want publicity - advertise.
Reply |CD BrooksFebruary 24, 2013 - 9:26 am
Dude, that's a hard line and I wouldn't know if it was some fantasy, but I gotta say I cannot disagree with you. Having lost six members of my family including my parents to cancer in the last five years, I have a special hatred for that disease. I'm not a band-wagon kinda guy and prefer to "suffer silently" so yeah, some of these "awareness" stories are a little over the top for me too.
Reply |DudeWhat?February 24, 2013 - 3:14 pm
I am more than sure they will make it without your "dimes". You are obviously a bitter person and that is sad in itself. They don't want or need your business. Thank you very little.
Reply |BradFebruary 24, 2013 - 11:26 pm
Jerk much??
Reply |Sgt. Q.February 24, 2013 - 11:31 pm
Thank you Heather Ah San and the Daily Republic for covering this event. This was way more then just another cancer awareness event. Our community came out to support the four beautiful children who lost their single mom due to cancer, and helped Pink Lemonade, Inc. continue their efforts in providing critical comfort services to those families battling cancer. We need more positive, uplifting stories like this. Support www.Pink-Lemonade.org and www.sandysoriginal101omelets.com.
Reply |StRFebruary 24, 2013 - 11:52 pm
Read this book...Dr. Mary's Monkey: How the Unsolved Murder of a Doctor, a Secret Laboratory in New Orleans and Cancer-Causing Monkey Viruses ....Still on my soapbox....sorry...The Illuminati really do want to depopulate the planet....Cancer is a slow kill method...Also I do not do this myself..but remember the best food is as God made it...no chemicals, no GMO, no hydrogenated oils (butter is actually better for you than margarine), no high fructose corn syrup, whole wheat flour not white, mineral content now lacking in food, terrible baby formulas, in general also manmade synthetic chemical loads. The thing that had been increasing our life spans used to be better nutrition (vitamin c intake ect) and better sanitation and warm houses to live in during flu season. Plastics that leach out poisons, artificial flavors and colors. Fluoride in the water ect..Contaminated vaccinations, excessive or unnecessary vaccinations not thoroughly tested like Guardasil. Ask yourself why is Autism going off the chart?
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