Sheila Dale’s wish was simple, yet meaningful: She wanted a salon day. Sheila is a Haven Hospice patient, and when her care team heard about her wish, they sprang to action. They connected with a Chiefland, Florida, salon, which graciously donated its services.

“Oftentimes, patients struggle with losing their independence and feeling like themselves while having a terminal diagnosis. Sheila has always been vibrant and strong-spirited,” said Haven Social Worker Keri Smith. “At one visit she spoke with me about her end-of-life wishes and one wish that stood out to me was for her to have a salon day. Her favorite color is purple and therefore she wanted purple hair, purple nails, and purple toes. I quickly went to work trying to figure out how I could make this happen. I reached out to various places trying to come up with a plan. I came across a local salon in Chiefland named Gal Pal Beauty Lounge. Gal Pal quickly sprang into action to help make this happen.”

Smith was preparing to apply for a grant to cover the cost of these services, but ­owner of Gal Pal Beauty Lounge Mykenzi Goolsby said they would not accept payment in any form; the hair, manicure and pedicure services would be donated by the salon.

“When we were asked to provide services for Sheila, we didn’t hesitate for a second. Our shop has always been about making women feel comfortable and beautiful and being able to do that for her in such a meaningful moment is truly and honor or us,” said Goolsby. “It was really a special thing to be a part of.”

Sheila, who is from Williston, was pampered with a haircut, color and blow dry by Brittany Kline. A week prior to her appointment, the staff at Gal Pal Beauty Lounge contacted Sheila to pick out which shade of purple she preferred to ensure they had it ready to go. Regarding the spunky color choice, Dale said, “I always have to be different, even with the cancer!” She also received manicure, pedicure and polish by Monica Pitzarell. Pitzarell took her time, chatted with Dale the entirely of her service, and added a little “bling” to her nails—nail art diamonds that brought a sparkle to Dale’s eyes.

The Gal Pal Beauty Lounge building is a quaint old home-turned-business with a comfortable atmosphere and pink embellishments. Laughter, conversation and girl talk filled the room—a perfect “salon day.”

Dale brought a companion with her to the salon for her salon day, her friend, Barbara Robinson. Robinson thanked Haven profusely for making this day happen for her friend: “We cannot thank you all enough for putting this together for her. It is special.”

Dale left the salon feeling happy, refreshed and beautiful!

Haven would like to extend gratitude to Gal Pal Beauty Lounge in Chiefland and its employees for donating their services and creating a special memory for our patient. Haven’s mission is “Honoring life by providing comfort, care and compassion to individuals and families we serve,” and Gal Pal Beauty Lounge helped us fulfill that mission!