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Scissor queen doesn't need to see to cut people's hair

Blind hairdresser succeeds against all odds

Did you ever hear the one about the blind hairdresser?

SHARON ASCHAIEK

[ 2007-05-09 ]

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Delia Martins Dorego - Blind hairdresser Delia Martins Dorego photographed at her salon in Georgetown. Fourteen years ago she lost the sight in her left eye and in 2004 she went blind in her right. (Alex Urosevic/Toronto Sun)

It's far from a joke: it's an amazing true story about a woman who's pursuing her passion against all odds.

Delia Martins cuts hair at Pro Hair Design, the salon she runs at Georgetown Marketplace near Hwy. 7 and Mountainview Road. She trims, colours, sculpts, does highlights and perms for a large and growing base of very happy customers -- all without being able to see.

"SIXTH SENSE"

"It all has to do with my experience -- I have a sixth sense when it comes to cutting hair, I don't need to see," says Martins, 41.

While cutting hair while blind might seem incredible, what makes Martins' story even more remarkable are the conditions she had to overcome to get to where she is today.

Martins could see perfectly well when she enrolled at the Academy of Hair Design 25 years ago. She'd known she wanted to cut hair since she was a little girl, when she received her first bad haircut.

"I had very long hair, and I asked the hairdresser for a small trim -- she cut 12 inches off. My mom almost died of a heart attack!" she exclaims. "I wanted to become a hairdresser and give people exactly what they wanted, if not better."

Upon graduating, Martins happily plied her trade at several salons in and around the city. In 1992, when she was just 26, things suddenly changed: the retina in Martins' left eye detached, leaving her with vision in just one eye.

This proved to be not much of a setback for Martins, and she continued to work in her field.

Her real problems began one afternoon in August 2004 when, while cutting a customer's hair, the vision in her right eye began fading.

Martins went from one doctor to another in search of suitable help, but was told on more than one occasion to "go home and sleep it off."

ARGENTINA

She knew it was serious, however, and eventually travelled to Argentina to pursue retinal implant surgery, a new procedure offered by that country, but was told her eye was beyond repair.

Full of despair and self-conscious about her disfigured eye, the single mother of two teenage boys left work for two years, which was both an emotional and financial hardship. It was while watching an episode of Dr. Phil that Martins gained the inspiration to return to doing what she loved.

'It featured a woman who'd been bitten by a spider and got depressed and gained a ton of weight. After watching that, I decided to stop feeling sorry for myself," she says. "The business wasn't doing well and my clients needed me, they were asking about when I was coming back."

Her recent return has proven less difficult than she'd anticipated: while she's had to rearrange the way she stores tools and supplies, and needs an assistant for fine trims, she's found she can manage most of the hair cutting and design on her own -- and her clients are thrilled with her work.

"I get up close and personal with clients -- I feel their faces, ask about their lifestyles and if they know how to manage their hair, and then start creating and sculpting," she says. "A lot of my new clients don't know I can't see -- I don't always let on -- and they couldn't believe it. They're just delighted with what I do for them."

Her clients aren't the only ones in awe of her story --Montel Williams booked her for an appearance on his show in March. She's also given interviews to Citytv, CBC Newsworld, CHCH, Elle magazine, Reader's Digest and more.

"NEVER GIVE UP"

Her advice for anyone facing roadblocks to going after their own dream job?

"Never give up on what you love," she says. "If you put your mind to it, there are ways around things, even with a disability. Nothing is impossible."