Nail salon owner fulfills dying woman’s wish to get her nails done in hospital

LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD/Gray News) - A Texas woman has more confidence in her battle with cancer, thanks to the kindness of a nail salon owner who fulfilled her wish to get a manicure and pedicure.

John Dawkins, the owner of Absolute Nails, thought it was just another day at his salon two weeks ago, but in the middle of the manicures and pedicures, he got a phone call. A woman named Debbie was calling about her close friend, Norma Hernandez.

Debbie said Hernandez was in the hospital battling cancer. Not knowing how long she has to fight, Hernandez wanted to get her nails done, KCBD reports.

Dawkins explained what Debbie told him on the phone.

“‘It’s just really sad that my friend wanted to get her nails done before she goes home to see Jesus, but then, she can’t get her nails done with nobody. Her own salon turned her down, and a number of other salons in town turned her down.’ When Debbie explained that to me, my heart just sank,” Dawkins said.

That night, Dawkins and his wife, Tammy, went to the hospital to make Hernandez’s wish come true. He says while fighting her own battle, Hernandez was only concerned with how everyone else was doing.

“I said, ‘Oh my God, this woman here, laying in bed, knowing that her life only has a number of days, and she’s worrying about everybody else.’ So, she stole our hearts,” Dawkins said.

Dawkins and his wife prayed with Hernandez and her family before they left. He says he understands what the family is going through, as he lost his mother to liver cancer when he was only 20 years old.

Dawkins cared for his mother in hospice during her final weeks. Before she died, he told her how devastated he would be without her.

“‘I’m going to be very emptiness and hollow. My heart’s going to be sad that you’re gone.’ She’s stumbling and pulled my shirt down. She said, ‘Son, you won’t be,’” Dawkins said.

His mother told Dawkins his compassion and kindness would lead to many blessings.

“So, therefore, I take that very seriously and give it when I got a chance,” he said.

He’s encouraging other salons to show the same kindness when they can.

“It wasn’t hard at all. Very small acts can make a world of difference,” Dawkins said.

Hernandez’s family says they’re thankful for the time Dawkins and his wife took to make her evening special. She’s still fighting at a hospital in Lubbock. Her family hopes the story of Hernandez’s joy and Dawkins’ kindness can inspire others.