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sjch.us•
If someone
had ever told Kelly Giblin
she’d be selling wigs in a cancer center,
she would not have believed it. A suc-
cessful paralegal for many years, Kelly
loved her job. Then, an unexpected med-
ical condition changed her life—and the
course of her career.
Lemons into lemonade
Kelly’s dramatic shift in direction started a
few years ago when she noticed a patch
of hair missing from the back of her head.
She was eventually diagnosed with alo-
pecia areata, a type of hair loss that occurs
when the immune system mistakenly
attacks hair follicles. Losing large patches
of her hair was traumatic, and Kelly started
wearing a wig to help bring back her
self-confidence.
“It’s the best and worst thing that ever
happened to me,” Kelly says. “I remember
walking into a wig shop, and the entire
experience was awful.” She ended up
in a tiny room like a broom closet trying
on wigs that were both unattractive and
uncomfortable.
It wasn’t long before Kelly decided she
wanted to take that sour experience and
make something sweet out of it.
She began researching wigs online and
discovered there were better options for
herself and other women. She soon started
selling and styling wigs from home on
nights and weekends.
One day, Kelly shared the story of her
search for better wigs with her Rotary
group—and that led to the offer of a
special partnership with San Joaquin
Community Hospital (SJCH):
Would Kelly
be interested in opening a wig shop at
The AIS Cancer Center?
“I knew I wanted
to help,” she says. “I didn’t realize I’d
leave my career to do it. But I’m glad I
did.”
Kelly named her wig shop Lemonade
Locks because of the old adage, “When
life gives you lemons, make lemonade.”
Lemonade Locks has been in business for
more than three years.
“I love helping women who are nervous
about losing their hair or have lost their
hair because of cancer treatments or other
A lock on
FEELING
GOOD
Y O U + U S : B R E A S T C E N T E R
Kelly Giblin, of Lemonade
Locks, knows all about turning
lemons into lemonade.