Sydney celebrity hairdresser fights cruel legacy of loss
Celebrity hairdresser Jaye Edwards lost his father, sister and cousin to motor neurone disease in just one year. That was three years ago and prompted the 30-year-old to get tested himself and he too has the gene.
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Celebrity hairdresser Jaye Edwards lost his father, sister and cousin to motor neurone disease in just one year.
That was three years ago and prompted the 30-year-old to get tested himself and he too has the gene.
“It will happen, the gene always becomes active at some point,” Edwards told The Saturday Telegraph.
“Statistics say I will get it eventually, usually between 45 and 65 but my sister was only 25 and she and my father died six months after they were diagnosed so it moved very quick. I don’t ever want people to feel sorry for me, that just pisses me off.”
Motor neurone disease (MND) is a progressive, terminal neurological disease. There is no known cure and no effective treatment.
Edwards grandmother and her sister also died of motor neurone disease and he has lost several cousins to the illness.
“I used to have horrible panic attacks,” he said, raising awareness for the disease for Motor Neurone Disease Awareness Month.
“Initially, I would think I was dying from the smallest things like a pain in my leg or a headache but I taught myself not to think too much about it. Even though it is constantly at the back of my mind, I just don’t give it attention. If you give it attention, you are wasting all of this energy on something that might happen.”
Edwards is the founder of eight Edwards and Co hairdressing salons nationally and his own haircare brand, Jaye Haircare.
He has won numerous awards for being a leader in his field and counts some of our top stars as his celebrity clients.
While most his age may be a long way off thinking about their legacy, Edwards is very much thinking about what he will be remembered for.
“I have built a great life for myself but I guess there is that constant thought of what I can do to make sure I make the most of my life,” he said. “As every year passes, you have to make it more meaningful, otherwise what is the point? Professionally my whole goal has always been to elevate the hairdressing industry.
“I want to make sure that when this is all finished, that I have left a legacy of increasing salaries for hairdressers, making sure that people understand it is a career and a career choice, not just a career for drop outs. And I want to make sure I give opportunities to people.”