Hair stylist Sonia Kozel has a welcoming smile and a warm hug for her house call clients, whose hair she insists on cutting and styling for free at the Crossroads Inlet Centre Hospice.

Kozel (formerly Siermaczeski) has been fundraising and volunteering for the hospice society in one form or another for the last six years - many know her as the inspiration behind the popular Mr. Millennium fundraising events - and her hard work and dedication has been recognized with the hospice sitting area known as Sonia's Quiet Room.

But many of her visits are for a decidedly aesthetic purpose. Kozel comes to Crossroads, between seeing clients at her Centre of Attention salon, with a tote bag brimming with scissors, combs, clippers and curling irons to cut the hair of terminally ill patients.

"A lot of times when people are sick, the last thing they think about is their hair but, give them a haircut, and they look like a million bucks - they go out in style," Kozel said with a laugh. "When they hit the pearly gates, they're lookin' first class."

Kozel does the cuts depending on each patient's level of mobility. Some are confined to the bed, so Kozel trims and styles while they're lying down. Others prefer to sit in a chair in front of the mirror to get the "salon experience." Either way, says Kozel, it helps them see themselves as the person they really are.

"Having your hair done is part of life and life continues until the very end," she said. "This is Sonia's gift to Crossroads and she does it so openly and with such care."

Death is a touchy subject and it's a rare person who feels comfortable being so close to it. Kozel is unfazed, however, and has a ready sense of humour that quickly puts others at ease.

"The patients want to pay me but I don't take any money from them," said Kozel. "Instead, I make a deal with them. I ask them to put in a good word for me when they get to the pearly gates, so I've got a lot of insurance up there."

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