Testimonials

Becky helped me with my journey...I hope everyone here will take advantage of her advice and teachings. Her surgical hair design made me feel more confident post-surgery. I highly recommend her services. It's been 3 years this March since I have had a seizure.
-Gyna
Becky is the best!!! She cut my hair before my surgery and did a wonderful, wonderful job!!! Becky will follow up with me after I get my stitches out. I love that she keeps in touch with you and will help you with your hairstyle till your hair grows back. 
-Melissa
I first met Becky at the Epilepsy Foundation's Walkathon at Cantigny Park in Winfield, IL. When Becky described how she could style my hair so my incision would be covered, I was thrilled. Although my doctors had given me an excellent prognosis, I had seen others who had similar surgeries and the results were very obvious, some were frightening. The incisions were so visible and obtrusive. It bothered me that my head would look like a railroad map and that I would be a walking advertisement. I wondered how people would look at me. I now understood why people were reluctant to have the surgery, but my desire to be seizure-free was so much greater.  
 
Thank God for Becky. I met her at just the right time--6 days before my surgery!
 
Becky wasted no time. She collaborated with my neurosurgeon on where the incision would be made. With this information, she was able to customize my haircut beautifully. After my surgery, people were so surprised my incision was not visible. Becky's technical skills and empathy made my experience very positive. I continued to have Becky cut my hair for months afterwards and she treated me with such care. Becky is the best at what she does. I strongly recommend Becky to anyone planning cranial surgery and wishes to maintain a great appearance  afterwards. 
 
I have been seizure-free since my operation, and I got my driver's license six months later. Prior to that, I hadn't driven in eight years. The real healing process was coming to terms that I was actually seizure-free. It was no longer a dream; it was real. Miraculous and life-changing may sound cliché, but it applied to me. I am off all medications and no longer living in fear.  

-Michael
Deciding to have surgery was not easy and I was apprehensive of many things such as how well I would recover and what my post-operative appearance would be. I expressed these concerns to my doctors and they suggested Surgical Hair Design. Becky spent time with me devising a plan for my hair and made me feel beautiful even though about a third of my head would be shaved the day of surgery. Because I already knew how I would look coming out of surgery it seemed as if I had some part in the actual procedure. I felt more secure knowing I could control this part of me. Also, knowing that I would still look like a "normal" person made me less afraid of the procedure. Just a week after surgery, I felt comfortable going out to dinner with my family or going shopping with my friends, with no one staring at my head.

Because I was anxious about how people would perceive me, I had been trying not to draw attention to the surgery. I was especially concerned because I would be beginning graduate school only three weeks later. I worried that my professors would assume I was too sick or incapable of completing the program and whether I would be able to conduct a presentation without the audience focusing more on the side of my head than on the actual content about which I was speaking. Knowing that people would see me and my abilities instead of the stitches, scars, or a bald patch was a huge relief! Since surgery, not a single person has noticed the incision site. Most people just compliment me on my new hair style. 

I come from a large family and we all live fairly close so I knew I would see them often. My family was afraid of surgery, maybe even more than me. I was afraid I would upset them anytime they saw me. Having a hair style that hid the stitches reduced their anxiety. My mother came with me on the day my hair was cut. Although she had been uncertain about surgery, seeing that I was becoming more relaxed also made her more comfortable. When I came home from the salon my sister said that she had not realized that the surgical area was already prepared!

Brain surgery is a very scary thing. It is beneficial to patients and their families when neurologists and surgeons recommend Becky not only because she can practically work magic to cover scars and stitches, but also because she truly understands the anxiety that goes along with brain surgery. Listening to Becky made a difference in how I felt about surgery. She is so positive about her procedure and was willing to listen to all of my concerns and answer any questions I had honestly as a patient. Surgery did not seem as frightening to me when I met someone who had already done it, and was so confident about her experience. Speaking with Becky reassured me that I was making a good decision in trying to control seizures with surgery and I am grateful for that.

- Mary
We just got home—stopped for dinner after our appointment. My mom is absolutely thrilled with her wigs. On our way back to Dekalb, she shared how much she enjoyed working with you and how you made her feel so comfortable. You really broke through her fear with regard to asking for help.
 
This was a big step for her today, and you were the one who made it possible!!! Thank YOU for spending so much time with her, lightening the conversation to allay her fears, and using your amazing skills as a professional stylist to make her wigs look similar. You made a real believer out of mom! And, a huge thank YOU for going to Focas on your day off to work with her and work with her in private, especially given her insecurities about her bald head.
 
Thank you for making such a difference in her life today and for your unconditional care! You have an amazing gift! 
 
-Beth
We made an appointment with Becky after my 11 year old daughter had tissue expansion surgery on her scalp. The surgery required that a third of my daughter’s head be shaved and I wasn’t sure Becky could do anything to help while the hair grew out. We were thrilled when at the end of the first appointment to have a hairstyle which flattered my daughter’s irregular face shape and covered the shaved part of her head to the extent that she didn’t feel the need  for the headband she had been wearing for weeks. The results were even more dramatic when the hair extension arrived and now hardly anyone can tell my daughter had surgery. I highly recommend Becky and Surgical Hair Design. Becky was knowledgeable and was terrific with my daughter. It was definitely worth the hour and half drive to get there! 
 
-Elizabeth
RECOGNITION
Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Chicago - Face of the Foundation - January 2014  
Chicago Tribune - April 6, 2014 - Remarkable Women
The Difference a Good Haircut Makes