SAN ANTONIO — Many east side residents looking for a fresh haircut and a word of encouragement turn faithfully to Tim Torres.
He’s a licensed barber and minister at the Cut & Shave Barber and Beauty Salon at 1139 Gembler Road. Just as his church and barbershop are connected, so are his passions for ministry and business.
Torres said he uses haircuts as way to build relationships, with hopes to make an impact on the youth.
“There’s a lot of young kids that can use us a better influence in the community rather than the drug dealer or the local gang member,” he said. “That’s what keeps me out here. I love the east side.
A couple of weeks ago, he started to experience migraine headaches so intense he had to wear sunglasses in church; his eyes were becoming sensitive to the light.
“Sometimes while I’m cutting, man, I get such sharp pains in my head, and it almost brings me to my knees,” he said.
His wife took him to the hospital, where his doctor diagnosed him with a tumor in his pituitary gland. Despite the pain of his condition, he continues to cut hair and share his message of hope.
“All thing I can do is look up and just know that God is going to do something in my life somehow in some way,” he said confidently. “No weapon formed against me shall prosper.”
He told KENS5 that he was not concerned about asking the community for money. He welcomed the prayers but was adamant about encouraging viewers to recognize “God’s presence in the midst of every storm.”
On March 15, Torres’s doctor will confirm the appointment for his surgery, an operation that will remove the tumor from his brain.
“As a barber, we don’t get paid if we don’t go to work,” he said. “Taking days off to tend to my health can be very costly, but I know God is my provider. So I’m not worried about it.”
Doctors told Torres that if the tumor grows, it may become a threat to his vision, which ultimately would force him to hang up the clippers and the career he recognizes as his calling. His response to the reports were consistently hopeful in the best possible outcome.
Even his clients explained that they see Torres as family, and they keep him constantly in their thoughts and prayers sending scriptures and encouragement to him daily.