Robyn Kelley (right) and Lisa Merritt (left) are both in the hair business. Both want to make women look and feel beautiful.
Robyn owns Trendz Salon and her team takes hair off. Lisa runs a wig boutique there and puts hair on.
Wigs are for women like Faith Owens (center), who typically lose their locks due to a serious illness.
Through the generosity of Trendz and first responders from Burke County organizing a fundraiser, the Owens’ out of pocket costs were $750 for a $5,000 special order wig made with real hair. It helped bring back some of Faith’s self-image.
“Amazon had cheap wigs. It was amazing the moment we walked into Trendz. Faith can feel beautiful again,” said Matthew Owens, who left his full-time paramedic position in Burke County earlier in 2024 to care for Faith full-time.
Kelley wants to help fill in the financial gaps for the Owens family. She’ll host her latest Cutathon on September 29th (full details are below). On different Sundays through the years, she’s led 15 cutathons, mostly for sick children—with the last 13 held at Trendz on 3670 Riverwatch Parkway. Most events raise between $6,500 – $13,000.
At 22, Faith is the oldest person Kelley and her team has ever helped.
“We had been praying about who the next cutathon should be for and no “kids” were placed on my heart but I couldn’t get Faith off my mind, “texted Kelley from her workstation. One day while praying, the Lord reminded me that we are all God’s children. I knew in that moment that He was telling me Faith all along.”
This year’s theme is “All About Faith.”
Faith’s Rare Illness
After this senior photo was taken, the Jefferson County High School graduate contracted Covid and began her first round of Covid vaccines. Due to symptoms, she had already started to lose some hair and wasn’t able to go to the prom or graduate like other students.
Her father, Matthew believes Faith’s failing health and infections were caused by the first round of the Covid vaccine. Then, her immune system shut down and genetic testing began. The testing showed her genes were mutating, causing a myriad of health problems including hair loss.
Faith was diagnosed with Common Variable Immunodeficiency-12. It is an autosomal dominant complex immunologic disorder with multisystem involvement.
It is characterized by recurrent infections as her cells attack organs in her body.
She’s had many trips here to Wellstar MCG Health in Downtown Augusta. At times, viruses and infections ravage her body, until doctors and nurses can get it under control. She then goes home.
Faith’s parents and living grandparents were all tested. Her dad is believed to be the carrier of the CVID gene, though he is asymptomatic.
“I blamed myself,” said Matthew on the telephone from his home near Wrens, Georgia, while watching after Faith.
The 43-year-old is an experienced EMT, which is a blessing and a curse during this health crisis. For the last four months, he’s been a full-time dad/caregiver, who can help her medically with certain aspects of her care.
However, when he was working, he encountered very sick people on the job and was worried about bringing home viruses.
“I had a choice. I could work, but would have to live somewhere else.”
Matthew is on leave from the Burke County EMA and hopes to go back to work in the future.
He chose to be with family, but now there is a financial shortfall each month.
Faith’s mom is now the sole provider for the family, working each day as the billing manager at CPC Health in Evans. She works in the administrative offices away from patients and there is no concern of bringing back sickness to her daughter.
“She’s the hero,“ said Matthew of his wife, Amanda.
Amanda agreed to be a bone marrow donor for her daughter. The transplant happened back in May. The hope is over time, Faith’s new immune system and cells will be able to fend off infections. Due to chemotherapy, she’ll eventually need extensive dental care.
There are big costs—as in $1 Million or so for the transplant and according to Matthew, about $2 million total during her recovery.
Insurance will cover most of the costs, but Amanda will never be the same physically.
“They had to drill into her hips 61 times to get enough marrow,” said Matthew. He said doctors expect his wife to have complications the rest of her life from major nerve and leg damage, causing severe pain.
“We’d do anything for our children,” said Matthew.
The Owens Family Unit
Matthew and Amanda are also responsible for their two other children, daughter Grace 15, and son Matthew Jr. 17.
“We don’t want their lives to stop.”
The Owens sans Faith just returned from the Nashville, Tennessee area and the Dixie Diamond Softball World Series.
Grace, a straight-A student is a catcher and outfielder on the Georgia all-star team chosen to represent the Peach State. They finished in 3rd Place.
Matthew Jr. is also a straight-A student and his faith’s gotten stronger in the last two years while his sister suffered. He told his parents he’s been called into the ministry and also has a love for cybersecurity. He considered Lee University, a Christian college in Tennessee, but due to the extreme financial crisis—that isn’t a possibility. He’s thinking about Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, and will be closer to his sister.
Faith’s future
Her father says this ordeal is difficult emotionally, as well for his daughter.
He says she has dreams that he and many others easily take for granted.
“Daddy I want to live long enough for someone to love me, to have a family, a house, and a job,” is what Faith said to her Dad recently.
Because of the Owens family’s faith and their fateful/faithful meeting with the ladies at Trendz Salon, Matthew thinks his daughter’s suffering might be used for God’s good.
“This could be her testimony to bring souls to the Lord. It might be his calling for her.”
How You Can Help
Robyn Kelley and her Trendz team will be assembling gift baskets, which they raffle off to raise money for families like the Owens family.
You are asked to stop by Trendz at 3670 Riverwatch Parkway anytime and drop off gift cards, gift items, or money.
Stop by from 10 A.M. to 5 P.M. on Sunday, September 29th to buy raffle tickets, get your haircut, or have your family enjoy surprise entertainment (one year some Princesses stopped by), along with free food, refreshments, sweets, and more.
Kids can also get their faces painted and flop around in the bouncy house set up in the parking lot of Trendz.
Donations for the haircuts or food are accepted that day and friends and family are welcomed.
As many as 140 people can get their haircut that day.
“Every penny donated goes directly to the family,” Kelley states. “They can use it for whatever” they want, such as medical bills, personal expenses, or even a family vacation.
Matthew Owens says if any extra money is left over from paying bills, they’ll start an education fund for Faith. He says the family is so appreciative of Trendz. “This is not your typical salon. The Lord is there. They treat you like family. They could have chosen someone else to help. They were led by the Lord to help us,” he added.
“Covid didn’t allow us to do cutathons for several years, so I am extra excited to get back to doing what I love and the reason I opened Trendz in the first place,” said Kelley.
To follow updates on Faith, please visit the family Facebook page: All In Faith
