Salon shave

By Lia Bichel
EMOTIONS ran high when friends and family gathered at a Berwick hair salon to raise funds for a local resident with cancer.
Longwarry resident Jo Rankin, 46, braved the shaver at Paul Fletcher’s It’s Individual Hair Design on 15 April to support her cousin, Berwick resident Dee Sutherland.
Ms Sutherland, 41, was originally diagnosed with breast cancer, but it has since spread.
She was told she would need a special and costly treatment brought to Australia from England.
On the day of the shave, Ms Rankin’s hairdresser, Paul Fletcher’s daughter Lucy, decided that she too, would shave her hair for the cause.
The duo raised about $9000, almost enough for two treatments for Ms Sutherland.
“The cost of treatment is $6000 per month, so I am still hoping we can raise more money,” Ms Rankin said.
“I am hoping any businesses, or anyone who has been touched by cancer, will help out.”
Ms Rankin said though it was a difficult decision to shave her head, she knew it was the right choice because she “would do anything for Dee.”
For nine years, she watched her cousin battle cancer, endure countless treatments and lose her hair nine times.
She had previously hosted other fund-raisers to help out her cousin.
“(Dee) is here for her husband and two kids,” she said.
“I love her so much and needed to do this to help take some burden off of her.”
Staff from Cell to Cell in Berwick also lent a helping hand, donating a new phone to Ms Sutherland, who had her phone stolen recently.
Ms Sutherland said the event was liberating.
“It was such a positive night and a very positive experience.”
“To watch Jo and Lucy do what they did was awesome. Jo had this great idea to shave her head and raise money and the whole community got behind her. And it was such a big thing for a young girl like Lucy to shave her head. She’s beautiful both with and without hair. What they did really touched us all. The money they raised is such a massive help and will go a long way.”
Ms Sutherland also thanked Cell to Cell for the new mobile phone.
“Two weeks earlier I had my phone stolen with all my contacts, specialists and medical history downloaded onto it,” she said.
“It was such a nice thing for Cell to Cell to come to the rescue. I can’t thank them, Jo, Paul Fletcher and Lucy enough.”
Anyone wanting to donate can still do so at It’s Individual Hair Design in Berwick or to an account set up in trust for Dee Sutherland at Bendigo Bank. The account number is 142560192 and the BSB number is 633 000.