Faces of Inspiration
By Jessica Luther

Katie Borton wasn’t expecting to be a cancer survivor at 21 years old.  The Sylvania resident and Southview High School graduate wasn’t worried when she first saw the freckle on her body.  Even when she went to her doctor for a sinus infection and he suggested she have it checked out, she didn’t really believe it could be anything dangerous.
           
“I went to see the dermatologist just in case,” she said.  “They did a biopsy and told me I had melanoma.”
           
Katie went to the Michigan Melanoma Cancer Clinic to have the spot removed.  Once that was done, they checked Katie’s lymph nodes to see if the cancer had spread; thankfully, it had not.
           
“I went to see my dermatologist for a  checkup and I asked him what would have happened if I had waited six months,” she recalled.  “He looked me straight in the eyes and said, ‘You’d be dead.’”
           
This experience really motivated Katie to do something different with her life; she began considering working in skin care, at a job where she could tell her story and help other people protect themselves from a treatable cancer like hers.  She had been working in retail at the time and caring for her son.  She knew she wanted to be an aesthetician, she just wasn’t sure how she would find the money or the time.
           
“I didn’t know how to go about doing it,” she explained.  “I really didn’t think it was attainable as a single mother.”
           
When her high school sweetheart and father of her son returned from military duty, they reunited and married a year after Katie’s bout with melanoma; they have since had two more sons.  Eight years after she had decided what she wanted to do with her life, Katie was able to make it a reality.  With the support of her family and extra money they had put aside, Katie began attending the Michigan College of Beauty.  In September of 2009, she became a licensed aesthetician in Ohio and Michigan, and began looking for a job. 
           
“I knew I wanted to help people and have control over what I was doing,” she explained.  “I wanted to educate people about how to care for their skin and give my all to my clients, and I though that owning my own business would be the only way to do that.”
           
At first, Katie planned to create a nonprofit with her services, and even began giving free facials and doing makeup at a group home.  Though she is still trying to get funding for the nonprofit idea, Katie knew she needed to make it a legitimate business and create some revenue.  Working at first from her home, she eventually found a location; owner Ron of Ron’s Salon in Sylvania made a space for her in his salon and helped her build her clientele.  On April 1, 2010, Faces of Inspiration officially opened to the public.
           
Katie does all kinds of facials, including stone facials, lymphatic drainage massages, which help release toxins and clear up acne and rosacea, as well as microdermabrasion, chemical peels and waxing.  Her goal is to offer the same great treatments at a better price; she knew she wanted a way to make a profit while charging her clients considerably less than she had seen at other spas and salons.
           
“Having been a single mother myself, I wanted my services to be affordable for everybody, including other single mothers,” she offered.
           
Katie is hoping to share what she had learned with her clients and spread the word about skin care so that others can avoid close calls like hers.
           
“It was a wake up call and definitely made me appreciate life more,” she said.  “I knew from then on I needed to make sure I was making the most of my life.”

If you found this story interesting, informative or inspiring please let Katie know! You may contact Faces of Inspiration at 419-509-9754, email katieborton@facesofinspiration.com, visit her website at www.facesofinspiration.com or her location at 5155 Trellis Way in Sylvania, Ohio.