SEATTLE -- When a manager came down with a debilitating illness, colleagues at BMW Seattle banded together to show their support, lifting spirits by lifting a razor.
I had a faux-hawk and a mullet, said technician Aaron Mitchell. Last night,[I]just shaved it all off.
On Sept. 1, assistant service manager Tony Watkins found out all the pain he'd been in was the result of stage 4 non-Hodgkins lymphoma.
For this to happen to me, it was just a huge shock, said Watkins, who said he's rarely been ill his whole life.
With a good prognosis, Watkins began aggressive treatment. In a letter to the West Seattle Blog, hiswife Sandy said, Tony started really losing his hair this past week and decided to shave his head.
Watkins has worked at the BMW dealership for 10 years, he said. And when coworkers and employees saw him fighting against cancer, they decided to remind him he wasn't alone in his battle.
I've known this guy for a long time, so in a sense he's family to me, so it hits youhard, said technician Jeremy Mujwid.
It's not just because he's our boss, said Mitchell. It's because he's our friend.
On Thursday, Watkins discovered dozens of his coworkers had shaved their heads to support him. With an electric razor handy,a few more joined in as the day progressed. In all, 23 employees -- both in the garage and in nearby offices -- were walking around with a new hairdo.
Or lack thereof.
Cold, my head's freezing, said technician Chris Bates, adding Everything, your whole head feels likeVelcro.
I had a lot of hair yesterday, said technician Adam Anderson. It's hard to tell people apart now.
But despite getting used to new sensations, they have no regrets.
People will stop and I'll tell them, 'I'm supporting my boss, he's fighting cancer,' said Anderson.
Everybody can feel bad about it, but if you can make him smile over it, it's... worth every bit, said Mujwid.
Watkins said a few other employees had said they planned to shave their heads as well, though he wasn't sure if his boss, the general manager, planned to join in.
Either way, the father of three said the show of supposed helps him keep perspective on a disease that caught him by surprise.
I can't think negative about it. I have to look at the positive side, Watkins said. I have to move forward, there are so many things I want to do that I know I'm going to do once this thing is taken care of.
