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“It turned out to be very nice for both of them,” Wilson said. “They bought the building and the salon, and they ended up with the real estate and the business. They felt confident they could grow in the Gateway area. They really know how to run it.”
Wilson said, “It is very fun to still be part of the salon. I enjoy all the salon clients, and have more time to care for my health.
“Cancer is a stubborn disease,” Wilson said, “and mine has not been different. I have been on seven different medications, and now the cancer seems to be responding quite well.”
The Memo asked Wilson how she’s learned to cope with cancer.
“I have 15 or 20 clients who form an ongoing support system,” she said. “I don’t need to go to a cancer support group because of it.” She connects with her clients in private, chatting over the telephone.
Wilson said her clients include those in cancer treatment, and those who are no longer being treated for cancer.
“We help each other a lot,” Wilson said. “Chemo almost always takes a client away for a year or two due to the loss of hair.” She said the support given and taken is “a sharing experience, not a case of saying, ‘Oh, poor you.’”
Wilson said the loss of hair during treatment is common; it’s the attitude of each patient that varies.
“The side effects are a natural process,” Wilson said. “They come out the other side, grow hair again and they are not tired. I feel lucky to be sharing the experience.” And share she does. Wilson’s not shy about her cancer, and talking about it helps all concerned.
“They feel so much more comfortable (going through chemotherapy and the resulting hair loss), because I’ve gone through it, too,” Wilson confessed.
During her cancer therapy, Wilson said, her clients would see her working, and learning to adjust to life with a wig.
She and those clients going through cancer treatment compare experiences. “You live with it,” she said of cancer. “You have to get past being a victim and go on with your life.”
The irony of a hair salon guru losing her hair during chemotherapy doesn’t get past Wilson.
Wilson said she lost her hair immediately.
“It’s deceptive to tell a client you won’t be bald,” she said. “Sometimes there’s some hair, but not enough.
“But some people select to go on and be bald and not wear a wig,” she said. But Wilson said that’s OK with her.
But hair loss for women is a different experience compared to a man’s.
“It’s not so bad for a man,” she said, “but for a woman to go bald, everybody addresses you as a sick person. They baby you. But with a wig you can go out, your world doesn’t become so small.”
Denise Mahoney is looking forward to continuing the good business established by her mother.
“It’s an honor to me to be third generation in this field,” Denise Mahoney said, “to continue the quality and passion in this industry.”
For Denise Mahoney, taking over responsibility for the business her mother founded “seems like a natural progression.” Wilson’s daughter has been working with her mom since The Colour Authority began. The two have been working side by side for nearly 20 years.
As for the cancer, Wilson’s daughter is proud of the way her mom has handled the unsettling situation.
“She’s always had such a positive outlook,” Denise Mahoney said of her mother. “The same passion she puts into hair, she’s transferred into getting well.
“She’s such an inspiration to a lot of people that see her,” Denise Mahoney continued, “she looks so great, you’d just never know she had anything going on.”
And Tom Mahoney is also looking forward to the future of The Colour Authority.
“Darleen hired me about two years ago as the salon business manager,” Tom Mahoney said, “so when she wanted to find a new owner, it seemed like a natural transition for Denise and me.
“We are committed to providing the best hair services available,” Tom Mahoney added. “Denise and I look forward to our new business challenge. We are fortunate Darleen is still a part of The Colour Authority.”
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