Kayley Olsson is a hairdresser in Iowa, who recently had a Facebook post that went viral, all because she refused to follow the instructions of her client.
Olsson started the post by saying this young client was one of the most difficult she's ever worked on. Olsson stayed at the hair salon for eight hours one day and five hours the next day to repair the badly damaged hair of a sweet girl with severe depression.
"I had a 16-year-old girl come in who has been dealing with severe depression for a few years now. She got to the point where she felt so down and so worthless she couldn't even brush her hair, she told me she only got up to use the restroom."
Olsson explained that the teenager went to the hairdresser because she was having school pictures that week, and she couldn't deal with the pain of brushing her hair out. By request, the girl's identity is anonymous, but Olsson made a huge difference in her life.
According to the Facebook post, "When she walked in [the salon] she told us just cut it all off ... 'I can't deal with the pain of combing it out.'" She then went on to tell Olsson she felt worthless because of it.
Those words broke Olsson's heart. She refused to cut all this girl's hair off, and instead dedicated her time to making sure this girl left the salon with confidence and great hair.
Olsson told BBC, "It took a lot of encouraging words, reassurance and just plain conversation to take her mind off of the pain involved in removing the matting and to boost her self-esteem and confidence."
Olsson said, "Her last words to me were, 'I will actually smile for my school's pictures today, you made me feel like me again.'"
The compassionate hairdresser ended her post by saying, "MENTAL HEALTH is a thing, it affects people all around the world and of all ages! PARENTS take it serious [sic] don't just push your kids off and tell them to get over something they legitimately can't. A CHILD should NEVER feel so worthless to not even want to brush their hair."
Olsson's heartfelt post received over 77,000 shares and thousands of comments from people who are facing other serious mental health problems.
The hairdresser also received many words of support and thanks from thousands of strangers. If you're struggling with depression or any other mental health conditions, remember that you're so loved and you're so important. And most importantly, you're worth more than you'll ever know.
This article has been adapted and translated from the original "Cabeleireira se recusa a raspar cabeça de adolescente que passava por depressão profunda," which was originally published on familia.com.br.