Mandy’s Beauty in the Bush owner’s cancer not slowing her down

Mandy’s Beauty in the Bush owner Amanda Griffiths’ is continuing to improve rural women’s self esteem while dealing with her own health battles.

Amanda Griffiths with daughter, Daisy, 6, and husband, Brett.

NOT even cancer can stop Amanda Griffiths’ crusade.

The 36-year-old beauty therapist has spent the past six years boosting rural women’s self esteem through her on-farm salon at Long Pocket, near Ingham in Queensland.

She runs Mandy’s Beauty in the Bush on 5ha where she lives with her husband, Brett, and daughter, Daisy, 6.

“I feel like my job is putting a smile on people’s faces, or if they are having a rough time I want to look after people,” said Amanda, who treats more than 40 clients a week.

“I’m lucky enough that I have the most inspiring women who walk through my door and I get to meet them daily.”

Amanda Griffiths of Long Pocket in Queensland has won business awards for her Mandy's Beauty in the Bush on-farm beauty therapy service, which attracts customers from the rural region north of Townsville.

In addition to her salon work, Amanda shares rural women’s stories through a blog and podcast series, called Bush Belles on the Backroads.

“I refer to the rural women as the bush belles in my area,” Amanda said. “I believe they are strong, courageous, resilient women who are the invisible threads who hold our rural communities together.”

In August, one week after her salon was named the reg­ion’s Most Inspiring Microbusiness, Amanda received a shocking diagnosis of stage-three lung cancer.

“I’m someone who has never smoked in their life. I’m active at work. I play sport,” she said. “It was quite a shock for myself, my family and the district.”

Faced with the biggest health battle of her life, she has continued blogging to share information.

After surgery, Amanda started chemotherapy and radiation treatment. She said doctors were positive about her recovery chances.

Client and friend Sarah Dunn said Amanda was one of the most inspirational people she had ever met.

“She is battling something most of us can’t imagine and she is still contributing to the community and going out of her way to help others, when she is the one who needs help,” Sarah said. “Her kindness for strangers and friends alike is parallel to none.”