Nick Sorrenti works the clippers at a barbershop he opened just one year ago. With a team of barbers who have turned into brothers, his dream has become a reality. But one thing Nick and his team never could have expected was when one of their own was diagnosed with stage three lymph node cancer, seemingly out of nowhere.

What You Need To Know

  • Tim Deemie is a barber at Studio 11 in Endicott and was recently diagnosed with stage three lymph node cancer

  • Manager Josh Shafer started a GoFundMe and added a donation box in the store to raise money for Deemie's fight

  • Studio 11 opened just a year ago and features eight barbers who say their bond is one of brotherhood

“We didn’t really care so much if you knew how to cut hair in the beginning. It was more about being a good person and we felt that the barbering aspect of it would come in time, and it has, but with that, it’s also created a strong brotherhood for us and when one of our own is sick, or down, it’s our job to pick them up in any way we possibly can,” said Sorrenti, owner of the Studio 11 barbershop in Endicott.

Studio 11's manager, Josh Shafer, first met Tim Deemie when he came in for a haircut a few years back. He eventually went from a client to a co-worker and quickly to a friend.

When the news came out about his cancer, Shafer quickly started a GoFundMe page to help in any way he could.

“It was just something that we needed to do to come together with the coronavirus and everything else going on. Times have been tough for everybody, but it’s going to be tougher on him because he won’t be able to work and we just want to help him out," said Shafer.

If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life, and these barbers live by that motto. But when that’s taken away, it’s a challenge for everyone involved.

“He’s able to come to work every day and grind it out and have fun with the boys and just love and take pride in what he does, and now he gets hit with the word 'cancer' and it kind of puts everything into perspective,” said Sorrenti.

“He’s not just an employee or a teammate, he’s also a friend,” said Shafer.

A friend that that these barbers are standing behind, and they hope the community will as well. They say even a small donation will go a long way.

“He’s my teammate. We look out for our teammates. It’s a brotherhood here. We’ve got eight guys, a solid unit, we’re going to be adding more guys on, but he’s someone I respect; I appreciate. I know he has my back every day in what he’s going through, I know he would be there to go through it with me, too,” said Chris Burns, a fellow barber at Studio 11.

If you wish to donate to support Tim Deemie's fight for life, you can find his GoFundMe page online or stop in to Studio 11 in-person to add to the shop's donation box.