Theresa and I started Cobalt Blue Salon in 2003.  We had been working together for around ten years in a few different salons while we were planning our vision for Cobalt Blue.  Finally in August 2003 while Theresa was making her daily run to Taco Shack, she saw the little house up for rent where we ended up starting our business.

Theresa always loved the industry from a young age.  After high school she went to college and received a marketing degree.  But after working in that field for a while she was dissatisfied.  She decided to pursue what she always wanted to do and enrolled in cosmetology school.

Theresa loved the profession and took the time to learn as much as she could about every aspect of it. After we opened Cobalt Blue, she became a Goldwell Color Educator for a few years.  She enjoyed working with new staff, teaching them how to apply and use color.

Around 2007 Theresa and I found out about Redken’s Summit Salon business program and jumped on board.  We started hiring and training people right out of cosmetology school.  Theresa loved watching people grow and was always encouraging them to take “baby steps” no matter how hard it seemed. She had to be one of the most positive and encouraging people I knew.  Her heart was always in the right place.

By 2011 our salon was growing quickly.  Theresa and I were so excited about our future.  Towards the end of that year she started feeling ill.  She was losing weight, looking pale and tired all the time.  By the end of January she finally went to the doctor and was immediately put in the hospital and diagnosed with AML leukemia. The doctors gave her a fifty-fifty chance.

She started treatment in order to get the disease into remission, but the only hope for her survival was a bone marrow transplant. Her family was tested but no one matched her.  A match was almost found but the numbers didn’t quite match up.  During that waiting period her body weakened from the chemotherapy and after a few setbacks the disease came out of remission.  She passed away on July 25 2012, six months after her diagnosis.

Theresa never gave up hope and had a positive attitude until the end.  She walked through her illness with dignity and grace.

In honor of Theresa, Cobalt Blue holds an annual cut-a-thon with all proceeds going to the Leukemia Research Foundation.  We also invite the blood bank bus from the Central Texas Blood Bank, and “Be the Match” operated by the National Marrow Donor Program, where you can do a simple saliva test to be added to their bone marrow registry.  We’ll post on our website when we’ll have our next cut-a-thon, so please come on out and help support these great organizations.

You also can donate to the Leukemia Research Foundation in Theresa’s name at http://www.leukemia-research.org.

— Amy Sinclair