We are taking appointments for SPA Week now! Hurry, these appointments don’t last long! Enjoy a 50 minute Signature Facial with an instant anti-aging eye treatment for just $50! Call us at 703.273.7878 to reserve your spot now!
We are so happy to be once again partnering with Tigerlily Foundation, a local non-profit committed to educating young women around the world about breast cancer and empowering them to be their own best advocates. Tigerlily Foundation was founded by Maimah Karmo after she was diagnosed with breast cancer at just 32 years young. Thankfully, Maimah’s faith and tremendous family support got her through her treatments. She emerged on the other side a transformed woman and wanted to create an organization that would help other young women diagnosed with breast cancer.
Tigerlily Foundation recently partnered with Dr. Nikhil Wagle, of The Metastatic Breast Cancer Project, led by the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, a nonprofit academic research institution whose mission is to dramatically accelerate the understanding and treatment of disease. The Metastatic Breast Cancer Project is taking a new approach to cancer research i
n which researchers partner directly with patients, who share their samples and clinical information in order to speed important discoveries. The project is being launched and funded by the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard — a non-profit academic research institution with a mission to dramatically accelerate the understanding and treatment of disease — and conducted in collaboration with Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, and advocacy partners. The project’s goal is to reach out to patients with metastatic breast cancer around the country in order to study their cancer using cutting-edge genomic and molecular research studies performed at the Broad Institute by allowing patients to participate in these studies regardless of where they live. If you have been diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer while you were 45 years or younger, you could help! Please visit the Tigerlily Foundation website to learn more. Additionally, you are invited to participate in the 5th Annual Young Women’s Breast Health Day on the Hill on Tuesday, 12/6/16. The focus this year is related to metastatic breast cancer with Dr. Wagle participating. See the flyer below for more details.
This October, Salon Khouri will donate $1 from every haircut from our Fairfax and Dulles locations to Tigerlily Foundation. Additionally, we are participating in our 11th year of the Pink Hair for Hope campaign! Come in for a pink extension for $10 per strand with all proceeds going to breast cancer research funding through the Pink Hair for Hope project.
We have some amazing promotions for you this October! Now through October 28th:
Add our Express Facial to any hair service for just $50!
Also, the summer may be over but the residual damage of summer sun and chlorine is not. Purchase any conditioner or treatment for 20% off with the purchase of any shampoo!
I wish I could say that in the nine years we’ve been advocating for childhood cancer, we have seen a decrease in childhood cancer rates. This is not the case.
Childhood cancer rates have increased 29% in the past twenty years. That’s right, 29%. This disease is not rare, nor does it discriminate. I’ve seen it take down families of all races and economic status.
I wish I could say that in the past nine years, there’s been an increase in the number of new drugs specifically formulated for childhood cancer. This is not the case.
In 2015, there were 51 new drugs approved by the FDA. Only one out of 51, Unituxin, was specifically created for childhood cancer. Out of all drugs in 2015 approved by the FDA, only 2% of those drugs were intended to help children battling cancer. You may think, “well, that’s just 2015. Surely, in the past twenty years, there have to be at least 10 drugs created for childhood cancers?” Sadly, no. There have been only three drugs specifically formulated for childhood cancers since 1995 out of 632 new drugs approved by the FDA in that time frame. That means, only 0.5% of all drugs approved in the past 20 years were made specifically to help children battling cancer. In fact, most therapies given to children battling cancer were never formulated for their little, unique bodies. The long-term affects and secondary illness that many of these drugs have on these children is devastating.
I also wish I could say that in the past nine years, the National Cancer Institute increased research funding for these children since there is little being spent by big pharma on childhood cancer research. Sadly, I cannot say this is true.
The National Cancer Institute allocates just 4% of their research dollars to childhood cancer funding. That’s right, just four cents on every dollar is put aside for our children. Please don’t get me wrong, I am not saying other cancers and critical illness are not important. But children battling cancer deserve more than 4% of available funding. It’s as if we are putting our kids in a hot, barren desert and giving them a water bottle only 4% full. The journey will be excruciating for all, and many will not survive it. We have to do more for our children.
And this last point, this one is the hardest for me to write.
I wish I could say none of our friends have been affected by childhood cancer. Oh how I wish I could say that. In 2013, we wrote about kids we have known personally who have been diagnosed. Kate Rhoades was mentioned in that post. I have known Kate’s mom, Lindsay, since the mid-90s, when we worked together at a non-profit. Lindsay and I were pregnant at the same time in 2011 – I with our third and Lindsay with her first, Kate Olivia Rhoades.
On August 15, 2013, Kate was diagnosed with Pre-B Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, you know, the “good cancer.” (Please, if anyone ever says that, slap them. There are no good cancers). Kate, was just two and a half years old when she was diagnosed. She was put on the standard protocol for children diagnosed with ALL, which is a little over two years of chemotherapy. Yes, you read that correctly, two years. But, Kate was mighty and surprised her doctors and her parents by how well she did throughout. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t all roses. There was a nausea, fear, tears, and bad, bad steroid weeks. But Kate had a tremendous support system of family, friends, doctors and nurses carrying her through. Kate also had Lovey, her sweet, pink comfort bear-blankey, who was always by her side.
On September 14, 2015, the Rhoade’s rejoiced at Kate’s last day of chemo. It was time to celebrate! Kate was in preschool, there were fall outings, and a Disney trip through The Make a Wish Foundation. Lots of time to be recovered after two years of cancer treatments, that’s for sure! And, Kate relished in her new, cancer-free life! In mid-December, Kate had her four month post-treatment counts done and everything came back great!
I wish I could say that’s how Kate’s story ended. But, cancer is viciously cruel and insidious. It lurks in the shadows, undetected and unsuspected. On January 11th, Mike and Lindsay took Kate to the hospital after she’d been sick with what seemed to everyone, including doctors, as a cold. On January 12th, just 15 hours after being admitted, Kate was gone.
From she’s perfect to she has relapsed took 26 days. From relapse to “there’s nothing more we can do” took 15 hours.
Last night, we took a very, very sick Kate to the PICU where the amazing team did everything they could. Leukemia had absolutley taken over. Her spleen & liver were enlarged. There was an infection in her blood. They could not stabalize her and she quickly reatained fluid. Her heart could not handle the pressure. They did CPR on her twice before our very eyes.
They did all they could. But this morning, our angel, our Kit Kat, and the world we live in died.
We are home and accepting love.
The above was posted by Lindsay the morning Kate was taken from them by cancer. The post is heart-wrenching, and brings back a flood of memories from that morning. Where I was when I heard the news. How I wailed and cried for it not to be true. And memories of the weeks following. Visiting Lindsay and Mike at home, seeing Lovey right next to Lindsay, within arms reach. Attending the funeral for Kate and seeing a tiny, white coffin adorned with flowers at the front of a church. Listening to Lindsay’s beautiful words she wrote to Kate in a letter just hours after Kate died. Watching my breath hit the cold, winter air as I recited Psalm 23 at the burial, praying for all of it to be a bad dream.
This is childhood cancer. This is the reality. It’s a devastating disease that thrives on the element of surprise. And it’s on the rise. A child is diagnosed every two minutes and seven children die from cancer each day. We have to do more. We have to stop this from becoming a reality for even one more child.
We urge you to follow Lindsay’s writings on The Prayers for Kate Facebook page. Her writing is beautiful and captivating. In it, you can feel the pull of joy and grief, oftentimes in the same sentence. She will continue to share about Kate, which blesses her and Mike immensely. For families who have lost their children to cancer, one of the only fears they have left in life is that their child will be forgotten. Do things to honor and remember Kate and other children who have lost their battle to cancer. Following the Prayers for Kate page will help do that.
Other ways you can help:
The Rhoades Family, two months before Kate was diagnosed with leukemia.
Kate at Fairfax Hospital, learning about tubies.
Kate with Lovey.
Kate – with sweet Lovey peeking out of the covers.
Kate, in late December 2015
Lovey Bear
Thank you for finding us through Apple & Pear Wardrobe Design! Take a moment to browse our site, or, feel free to visit our Instagram site to view photos of our work. If you found us through Apple & Pear and are a new client to Salon Khouri, we’d love to offer you a $10 Gift Card toward your first visit! Just be sure to tell our front desk team know that Apple & Pear Wardrobe Design referred you!
We love what Apple & Pear Wardrobe Design is doing for women all across the NoVa area!
The wardrobe consultants at Apple & Pear know that all of us want effortless style, and a wardrobe that makes us feel great, but they also know that time, budgets, and changing bodies can make it hard to love the way we look. They’ve helped hundreds of women get rid of clutter in their closets, figure out how to dress — and love — their bodies. Apple & Pear can help you build wardrobes that take the stress out of getting dressed! 
We’d love for you to check out their many style tips or get to know their team!
At Salon Khouri, we help you love your hair and skin. Apple & Pear Wardrobe Design helps you love your wardrobe!
Tired of fighting frizz? Let us transform your hair with a keratin treatment! Our express keratin will will fight frizz 6-9 weeks and our full keratin will fight frizz for 12-16 weeks. Not only will it reduce frizz, but it cuts your blowdry time in half, if not more!
Schedule your keratin treatment August 14th – August 24th and receive:
Hurry, we have limited appointments available for this awesome promotion! Call us at 703.273.7878 or email us at saloninfo@blog1.salonkhouri.com to schedule your appointment.
Our keratin treatment:
* Cannot be combined with other offers or promotions. Valid August 14th – 20th. Promo code: KER15 or KER35.
This August, we are donating $1 from every haircut to Stillbrave Childhood Cancer Foundation to support Tattoo Tom Mitchell in the 200 Ultra Marathon he is running. However, we wanted to pledge $1000 to Stillbrave but we aren’t quite at 1,000 haircuts a month (though it’s a goal we hope to one day reach!!) To help bridge the gap, we will be holding Lemonade Stands and are also hosting a raffle.
Raffle Details
Purchase 1 ticket – you receive one entry. Purchase 5, and you are upping your odds! We appreciate your help! Together, we are helping local children battling cancer and their families through Stillbrave.
To purchase raffle tickets, simply click the Buy Now button below. You can use any credit card/debit card listed below or your PayPal account. Also, you may change the quantity to purchase more tickets after you click the Buy Now button, just be sure to click the Update link below the Quantity field on the next page.
We are proudly supporting local non-profit, Stillbrave Childhood Cancer Foundation again as our August Community Outreach partner by donating $1 from every haircut in the month of August from both our Fairfax and Dulles Landing locations!
The founder of Stillbrave, Tattoo Tom, is on a mission and we are honored to help. He is battling daily to provide non-medical, supportive care to children with cancer and their families. Stillbrave is committed to helping the families of children battling cancer in any way they can. While they are fighting the toughest war of their lives, Stillbrave will fight their lesser battles, so they don’t have to. To do this, Stillbrave relies on donations from the community, and Tom will do just about anything to help these kids, including auctioning off tattoo sponsorship on his body, to running in 50 mile, 100 mile and 200 mile ultra marathons. What we love the most about Tom, though, is his heart. He falls in love with the kids he supports and will do just about anything to bring a smile to their faces. He suffers when they suffer and celebrates their milestones. Tom knows personally how cancer can rip a parent apart. Cancer stole his daughter, Shayla, from him when she was just 16. Distraught and devastated, Tom thought, “why didn’t someone DO something.” Then he realized, “I am somebody.” Thus was born Stillbrave.
While they are fighting the toughest war of their lives, Stillbrave will fight their lesser battles, so they don’t have to.
On August 12-16, 2016, Tom will be once again participating in an ultra marathon to raise money for Stillbrave families. This one is the Bigfoot 200, a point to point traverse of some of the most wild trails in the Cascade Mountain range of Washington State. The race ends in Randle, WA after crossing the Cascade Mountains from Mount St. Helens to Mt. Adams and along ridge lines with views of volcanoes Mt. Rainier, Mt. Hood, and Mt Adams. It literally is Tattoo Tom vs. The Volcano.
What can you do to help?
We are here to help spread awareness and raise money for childhood cancer. We believe that our children, your children, deserve #MoreThan4. You see, out of the $4.9 billion dollar budget allocated to the National Cancer Institute, only 4% of that is allocated to childhood cancer research. And, a recent study by the World Health Organization shows a child is diagnosed with cancer every two minutes. Childhood cancer is not rare. Yet, there is very little funding on the pharma side and a minuscule amount of funding on the federal side. Our children deserve more and deserve funding for less toxic treatments. They also need local advocates like Tom, who will fight for them, providing daily essentials to their families helping them through the childhood cancer battlefield.
We were honored to be a recent guest of the All Things Loudoun Podcast.
Be sure to check out their great podcasts of local #smallbusiness owners, including Bullets & Beans, Hail & Hog Kitchen and Tap, GloveStix founder Krista Woods, and LoCo Crossfit!
You can listen to the interview below:
Are you a #GMU student who has never been to Salon Khouri? We’d love to change that! For a limited time, Mason students who are new clients to Salon Khouri can use $10 toward their first visit with us to see Fairfax stylists Jelena, Paula or Tessa and Dulles stylists Kai or Ashley or our amazing esthetician, Judy! And, if you bring a friend, you both can use $15 toward your first visit!
Call us at 703.273.7878 or email us to book your appointment.
* Cannot be combined with other offers or promotions. Valid for new clients only who are students at GMU. For the bring a friend promotion, you and your friend must come on the same day for services.