What barber saw while giving boy a haircut saved his life

A barber saved a teenager’s life by spotting a lump that turned out to be a rare cancer. Firat Davutoglu saw the lump on Owen Norgrove’s neck after he asked for a short back and sides. The barber advised the 17-year-old to “get it checked out” and the next week Owen went to his GP who referred him to a specialist.

Following a series of tests, Owen was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma, an uncommon cancer that develops in the lymphatic system. He immediately started aggressive chemotherapy following his diagnosis last January.

Agricultural apprentice Owen, from Ludlow, Shropshire., is now in remission and is hoping to be given the all clear next June. Mum Hayley, 45, said: “Owen had just gone for his normal haircut and Firat noticed the tiny lump on his neck and advised him to go to the doctor to get it checked out. When Owen came home he told us what Firat had advised and we immediately got him an appointment with his GP.

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“He didn’t get the diagnosis until January 2024. Once we saw it, it did start to grow - by the time he was diagnosed it was a sizable lump in his neck. Firat really helped Owen have the cancer diagnosed much quicker so he could start treatment sooner.

“He started his chemo a few weeks later. He had his last chemo on May 1 last year. Then early June he was in remission, so he’s been in remission for just over a year now. It was hard as he had the strongest chemo for the cancer he had, it was brutal stuff.

“It would reduce his immune system to zero, he had no immune system to fight anything that was going on. You just don’t expect cancer at that age, it was a shock for everyone. But everyone rallied around and we had a strong support network. But with his age and resilience, his body fought back.

“He’s a keen rugby player and a farmer so it helped."

He underwent five months of chemotherapy at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and is being supported by the Teenage Cancer Trust. This week Owen was reunited with Firat for the first time since he took the barber’s life-saving advice.

Recalling the day he had his trim, Owen said: "I came to the barber as I do every few weeks. Suddenly Firat stopped and said to me 'do you realise you've got a lump on your neck? You might want to get that checked by a doctor.’

"I'm really grateful that the barber noticed the lump on my neck, he didn't have to do it and it could've led onto more serious things. But I'm very grateful."

Firat, who runs New Styles barbers in the town, said: “I’m just giving him a haircut and I saw that his neck, the right side of it, is swelling. I just asked what is it? He said he didn’t know and I got the mirror and he said he hadn’t seen it before. I told him ‘mate, you should go see the doctor’.

“Maybe it would be something easy, but then maybe it was something not as well. His haircut is done and I didn’t see him for five or six months. He came with his dad and I didn’t remember him because he had chemotherapy and had no hair. His dad told me the story and I feel emotional.

“I saw him and he keeps coming, he’s alright now. Something happened after I said he should go. He won the cancer and that’s what’s important now. He’s clear now and I hope he’s going to have a long life, healthy, and he’s never going to see the hospital and doctors again.”