FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- The best word to describe Sally Lawrence is adventurous.

This is a woman who decided on a whim to move from Michigan to Alaska after college, a woman who abruptly quit her job and decided to backpack across Europe.

But her life’s adventure ran into a bump in the road a year and a half ago when she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Lawrence, who lives in Cottonwood, Ariz., was worried -- not only about her health, but also about her hair.

Doctors told her she would require chemotherapy. Her hair would fall out. Friends suggested she shave her head before that happened.

But Lawrence had concerns about that.

“I didn’t want my friends (to shave my head). I didn’t want my friends to see my no-hair head,” Lawrence said. “(And) I didn’t want to go to a salon in front of 25 people and get my head shaved off. It just didn’t feel good.”

Plus, she was worried about how she would look.

“Some people just tie a scarf around their head and be happy with it,” Lawrence said. “But I knew that wouldn’t work for me.”

A man named Robert Allison alleviated Lawrence’s concerns.

Allison runs "A Salon Called Hope" in Flagstaff, Ariz. He works with cancer patients, specifically helping them deal with issues caused by hair loss.

Allison shaved Lawrence’s head in a private, comfortable setting, showed her how to redraw her eyebrows, gave her a turban and cut her fingernails and toenails.

He did all of that for Lawrence without charging her a dime. He helps about 10 other cancer patients for free as well.

“I believe it’s important for a man to have a purpose,” Allison said. “How could you not want to step up and try to be their champion if somebody needs to champion their cause?”

Allison believes in a program called “Look Good, Feel Better,” administered by the American Cancer Society. His salon is an extension of that program. His goal is to have a version of his salon in every city around the country to help cancer patients.

“They all need their dignity, self-respect and their wholeness,” Allison said.

Lawrence asked to pay it forward to Allison because of all he had done for her. Earlier this week, CBS 5 News gave her $500, which she then gave to Allison.

“I’m just glad that I found Robert, because who else would have done (what I needed)?” Lawrence said.

Allison plans to use the money to buy more products that can help his cancer patients.