“We are all looking for ways to give back,” says Nina Husen owner with Nicole Hitchcock of NH2 Salon in Novato, California. “Blessed beyond measure, it makes it even sweeter when that blessing can be shared. For a hairstylist it takes very little time to make a huge difference in the life of a fellow passenger on this journey.”
While that may be true of all hairdressers, Husen’s latest efforts are beyond what most of us will ever do. Seven years ago, after cancer claimed 37-year-old NH2 Salon stylist Brandi Hitchcock, Nicole’s sister and a stylist at the salon, Nina and Nicole founded Hairdressers with Heart. Born from that was Style Heroes, a group of stylists who help cancer patients with their beauty needs. Now Husen has embarked on a cross-country bicycle journey to raise funds and awareness that will build a network of Style Heroes throughout the U.S.
Back in May when she wrote the first post for her biking blog, Nina described how Style Heroes works: “A recipient applies online and shares about their diagnosis and treatment. Our volunteer coordinator then pairs them with a Style Hero suitable to their proximity and way of being. That Style Hero connects with the recipient and either shaves their head, helps style their wig or takes them through one full year of complimentary clean-up services as their hair grows in.”
A little more than a month after Nina left San Francisco, her pedaling has taken her as far as Colorado. Friends and family members pick up a few miles to ride with her or help in other ways. Check her blog for information to donate or help!
Before she started, Nina vowed, “I will get on my bike and begin a ride across the country. I will ride the mountains of Nevada, Utah, Colorado, then on to Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky and finally Virginia. Look for me.”
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