URI barber diagnosed with Lymphoma

09/04/08 - Each fall University of Rhode Island students return to campus, greeted by the familiar faces of previous semesters. This semester, one of the Memorial Union's most familiar faces will be absent. Ed Ciccone, who has worked at the Total Image Salon more than nine years, was diagnosed with stage III Hodgkin's Lymphoma in May. Notorious for his "fast and precise" haircuts, Ciccone will not be able to work as he undergoes chemotherapy treatments.

Ciccone has been undergoing the treatment for three months now. He takes chemo pills for most of the month, then goes in for an intravenous treatment toward the end. The medication's side effects, he said, are probably the worst.

"My body is a total mess." Ciccone said. "Scrambled, that's probably the best way to describe it. I feel like I'm deteriorating."

With each cycle, he said, vomiting, fatigue and weight loss intensify. After he completes six to seven months of chemotherapy, his doctors will start radiation treatments.

Despite the harsh side effects of chemotherapy, Ciccone said he now looks at his diagnosis as "a blessing in disguise."

Just months earlier, the 36-year-old was working full time at Total Image, then driving to his own salon in Cranston where he would log several more hours each day. Ciccone said he was giving about 40 haircuts each day, going full speed and working like crazy. He was not eating healthy, and not taking enough time to relax and see his family.

"My doctor said if I had been going at that rate I would have been dead in five years," Ciccone said.

That was an eye-opening revelation for Ciccone. Since being sick, he feels he has regained much of what he was overlooking and appreciates the time he gets to spend with his wife and two sons.

But that's not to say he doesn't miss working. For nearly a decade, Ciccone said he has poured his heart and soul into the Total Image Salon. He misses seeing his regular clients and keeping people looking sharp.

"The hardest part of it is not working," he said. "I just want everyone to know that I'll miss making them look good."

And though he said he feels strong enough to work, he knows his immune system is so fragile he cannot risk working in an environment that exposes him to germs and bacteria. Even a cold could be deadly to Ciccone's immune system.

Another obstacle Ciccone faces is the financial aspect of a costly disease. Forced to pay for medications out of his pocket, some as much as $1,500 a bottle, Ciccone said the medical bills have been piling up. Since his health insurance covers little of his treatment and he can't work, he said the last few months have been difficult.

To help her longtime co-worker, Brenda Celona, the owner of Total Image, hosted a fundraiser in July, raising $5,000 for Ed and his family. Celona's goal was to raise $2,000 by hosting a luncheon in the Memorial Union, but she said the response from the public was overwhelming.

"So many people chipped in, it was great," she said.

Celona also set up a link on the salon's Web site where those interested can make direct donations.