ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A St. Petersburg hair stylist is battling stage 4 metastatic breast cancer after being diagnosed in December of 2022.
Heather Curley has worked at J. Con Salon & Spa in St. Pete for 10 years. She enjoyed every minute of it.
"I started to do hair, and I loved it so much. I couldn't imagine doing anything else. I'm sad to not be able to do it right now," she said.
In October of 2022, Heather said she discovered a lump in her breast.
"I had no symptoms. All my blood work looked fantastic. I had my yearly GYN visit the March before, and nothing was found then. I found it after a long day of work. I just thought maybe I was sore, you know, hairdresser, arms up. Thought I was sore, but I found the lump in the shower," said Heather.
Heather said the cancer has spread to other parts of her body, including her liver, spleen, stomach, thyroid, and bones. She started chemotherapy in January of 2023 and continued to work through the treatments.
She is no longer working at the salon and has enrolled in a clinical trial at Moffitt Cancer Center. She said the treatment is injected into her brain through a port.
"It is very common for my type of breast cancer to go to the brain, so my medical oncologist enrolled me in a trial," she said. "Hopefully, going to make my breast cancer a chronic illness rather than a deadly disease."
A client started a GoFundMe page to help Heather with medical bills. The platform is now being used to raise money for Heather's 4-year-old daughter, Palmer, and her education.
"My daughter just turned four on October 30th. She's so sweet, and she's so brave. She's so resilient. At first, she would get really upset when I would have to rest, and she wouldn't want me to rest, and she knows way too much for her age, but she is definitely a momma's girl," said Heather.
J. Con Salon & Spa has partnered with Chick-fil-A on 4th Street North in St. Petersburg. The two companies created "Cookies for Palmer." Customers may purchase a 6-count of cookies at that location, and a portion of proceeds will go to Heather's daughter, Palmer. The salon is also selling cookies.
Mike Agrippina is the general manager at J. Con Salon & Spa.
"Everyone who knows Heather, loves Heather. She just celebrated her ten years at J. Con, so when we found out about her news and the trials and tribulations she has gone through, we wanted to support her however we could," said Agrippina.
"The way she fights and stays positive and persists. She really shows up for her daughter and for her husband. That's the spirit that we all admire, and we want to spread that. We're thankful for Heather."
For more information on how to support Heather's family, visit here.
