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Two pictures that show the reality of depression

Kate, and the woman's hair before and after. Picture:
Kate, and the woman's hair before and after. Picture:
Kate Langman/Facebook

When a woman walked into the Wisconsin​ salon where hairdresser Kate Langman works last month, she couldn't have known how positive an impact she was about to make on her life.

Langman found out that the woman had been suffering from depression, and hadn’t left her bed in six months. She also hadn’t brushed or washed her hair is all that time.

Langman wrote on Facebook:

She kept pulling it back into this bun which after that long of time turned into a huge dread lock. The bun was so matted that it felt like she literally had rock on the back of her head.

Langman arranged an appointment with her for the next day, but she didn’t come in to the salon. She called two weeks later to book another appointment, but, again, was unable to turn up.

However, she eventually came back to the salon, and Langman writes:

I didn't care how late I stayed, I wanted to make sure she got taken care of. I wanted her to know how hard I was going to try to make her feel great again.

I explained to her prices and she said "I don't care about the price, I just want to look like myself again."

I spent 8 1/2 hours with this girl. 4 1/2 hours of combing, and 3 hours coloring and 1/2 hour for the cut. All of this time, I'm just telling myself to keep going, that this is going to be all so worth it.

By the end of this service, I could see the sparkle in h]er eyes and I could see her cheeks get rosy pink from the excitement of not only being able to run her fingers through her hair again, but she felt herself again. I changed someone's life today.. & I'll never ever forget it.

This is how it looked to begin with.

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And look how great it is now.

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Here's Langman's post, which has been shared more than 16,000 times:

Great work, Kate.

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