Salon industry legend and breast cancer survivor, Ann Bray, is revered in the professional hair care industry as “The Educator’s Educator”. In addition to being a top Aquage TeamQuest Artist and Educator for over 5 years and successful owner of The Master’s Salon in Huntsville, AL, she was recently knighted L’Ordre de la Chevalerie, one of the highest honors awarded by Intercoiffure. She was also the 2006 NAHA Long Hair & 2006 Createur de Mode award winner. Ann has trained winners on every level of competition including the only gold medal in U.S. history.

When we, at Aquage, began creating the Komen for the Cure® section of our website, the idea of interviewing Ann to help us raise awareness for the cause quickly came to mind. As usual, her amazing grace shines through as she shares her personal story...

“I guess it was about three years ago, I recently had lost a lot of weight and while in the shower one morning, I felt a lump in my breast. I really didn’t think much of it at first. To be honest, because there had never been a history of breast cancer in my family, I really wasn’t as good about getting regular mammograms or self exams as I should have been. But the reality is, it can happen to anyone, not just those with a family history. So I told my daughter about the lump and of course she had me go to the doctor right away.

When they first gave me the diagnosis, that yes, it was breast cancer, I was really surprised. I went to the appointment alone because I was still sure it would turn out to be nothing. After hearing the “c-word”, I got in my car and just started driving. Eventually, I wound up in my church parking lot where I just broke down. Then I thought, there are a lot of people who have had this and survived and I’ve been through many things in my life, surely I can get through this too. And from then on, that was it, I just believed I was going to get through it. A few days later I went back to my doctor and asked, “If I was your wife, what would you have her do next?” He gave me the name of a doctor in Birmingham who he highly recommended, and my treatment began.

I’ve had two surgeries, radiation and today I’m cancer free. At first I had to be checked every 3 months, but now only every 6. During this experience, I leaned on my family who were right there, a few close friends who I’ve known for many years and, of course, my faith, because I know God is a great healer. That is how I got through this.”

Q: What messages would you want to pass on to others that have recently been diagnosed?

A. First, don’t listen to negative people. Just take a look at the survival rates and you’ll see this isn’t a death sentence. Surrounding myself with positive people helped me through. Also, start educating yourself right away. Take charge of your own care. Learn as much as you can and research everything your doctor says. You need to be informed. And finally, one of the things that has helped me most through this is being able to reach out to others. Especially in our industry, you’ll always run into people that are battling or have battled this. Being able to share my story and hear theirs made me feel better quicker.

Q. How did the professional salon community respond to your illness?

A. I am not sure why, but at first, I was quiet about my diagnosis. I only told three people about it, all of which I am very close to. One of them you know well, Luis Alvarez. Luis was there for me every step of the way. He believed in my success, that I was going to be fine and that this was just the beginning of a new chapter. He told me that there was no looking in the rear view mirror and kept pushing me forward. He kept me busy and I never felt I couldn’t do anything. And the interesting thing is that my professional life soared during this experience. It was after I was diagnosed with breast cancer that I won NAHA. I can only hope that everyone battling this disease has someone like Luis behind them.

Q. What can you say that you think would motivate people to purchase our Komen for the Cure promotion so we can increase our donation this year?

A. Cancer can happen to anyone, your mom, your daughter, your granddaughter. By supporting the gift set promotion, salons and their clients will be, not can be, but will be part of saving precious lives. It is through research that this disease is no longer a death sentence. With a cure, maybe we won’t have to be afraid. Fear causes you to draw into a shell, we need to eliminate the fear. What you support today can ultimately save someone very precious to you.