Urban Studio thinks pink

One in eight women will be affected by breast cancer in their lives. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says breast cancer is the second-leading cancer-killer of women.

Exercise is a protective factor, and early detection is the key to improving survival.

All through October – Breast Cancer Awareness Month –  various walks-for-the-cure, 5K runs and pink apparel have been available to support research and treatment of breast cancer, but Jessica Blakeman, owner of Urban Studio salon in Milton, had a different idea for a fundraiser.

Throughout the month, Blakeman has been offering pink manicures, pedicures and hair extensions to clients in a campaign she is calling "Think Pink." When the fundraiser ends Tuesday, Nov. 1, she said Urban Studio will be donating a portion of the proceeds from these services to Tunnell Cancer Center in support of breast cancer awareness.

“I feel like I know a lot of people and have a lot of clients who have had breast cancer,” Blakeman said. “So for October, we are doing pink manicures, pedicures and hair extensions, and the money stays local in the Sussex County Cancer Survivors Fund.”

The Cancer Survivors Fund is a local nonprofit organization that works with Tunnell Cancer Center to raise money to assist cancer survivors in Sussex County. Patients with limited means are helped with the costs of co-pays, medications, medical supplies, transportation, nutrition and wigs with these funds.

Lewes resident June Murphy is a two-time cancer survivor and client at Urban Studio. Murphy said she came to Blakeman after her diagnosis of breast cancer in 2010, and they cried together when Blakeman cut off her hair before it fell out during chemotherapy.

“I had cervical cancer in 1984 and in 2010, I was diagnosed with breast cancer, which had spread to my lymph nodes,” she said. “This was in October, so it has been a year.”

After 22 weeks of chemotherapy, 35 days of continuous radiation and reconstructive surgery, Murphy said she is well enough to volunteer at the Tunnell Cancer Center as a patient mentor.

“You cannot take your health for granted, but some people unfortunately do,” she said. “Early detection is the key, and I’m walking, talking, living proof it will save your life, because it saved mine.”

Fellow Urban Studio stylist Sean Metzgar said that as a specialist in hair replacement, he can build hair pieces, and he counts those battling cancer as a large part of his clientele.

“I actually service client’s wigs and hairpieces, things like that, and I’ve actually designed and built hair pieces and wigs for patients,” Metzgar said. “There isn’t a big calling for that in a resort area; a lot of my clients have cancer and issues like alopecia.”

People who are suffering from cancer should not ignore how appearance can make one feel. Murphy said she always encourages patients not to forget the things that make them feel attractive.

“I tell patients, ‘If you wore makeup before you got sick and it made you feel good, there’s no reason to stop now,’” she said. “Cancer will change your body; don’t let it change you.”