Salons throughout East County are coming together in support of a fellow stylist recovering from massive injuries suffered in a boat accident this summer.

Tami Clark, a hairstylist at Wild Orchids in Antioch, was enjoying a day with her family in August on the Delta when the boat she was riding in drove over a submerged rock, launching Clark and daughter Natalee, 3, out of the boat and into the rocks near a levee. Both were airlifted to UC Davis Medical Center for treatment.

Natalee suffered a fractured ankle and a laceration above her right eye that required 15 stitches. She spent a week at the UC Davis Medical Center and has since recovered from her injuries. Clark, who was holding her daughter at the time, suffered head trauma, a broken neck and pelvis, fractured legs and broken feet.

Clark has undergone four surgeries and countless doctors appointments since the accident, but was able to return home in September. She’ll need an additional procedure to restore hearing to her left ear. Despite the long road ahead, Clark’s mother, Lori Lopez, said her daughter remains in good spirits and is ready for the fight back to full health.

“Most of the time she’s like a lion,” Lopez wrote in an e-mail. “She’s strong and on a mission to get better so she can go back to work and make sure her clients are beautiful for the Christmas holidays. She loves what she does, and I think it’s what keeps her going forward and not feeling sorry for herself.

“I’ve never heard her complain. She’s not walking yet, but in a few weeks we’re hoping her rods come out of her foot. Her eye bothers her, but the doctor said from having brain surgery it can take up to a year for her stretched nerves to heal. Her hair is growing back and that makes her happy, even though she’s beautiful with no hair.”

Lopez, who owns Wild Orchids, wanted to host a cut-a-thon fundraiser to help support her daughter, who has no medical benefits. When Julie Jones, a sales representative from TIGI Hair Care, visited the salon and heard Clark’s story and Lopez’s idea for a fundraiser, she went to her other salons in the area and asked them to join in the effort.

On Sunday, Oct. 21, 12 local salons will host a cut-a thon. The salons will offer free hair cuts to anyone who makes a $20 or greater donation to the Tami Clark Foundation. The funds will go to Clark to help pay her mounting medical bills. Salons are currently accepting appointments for the cut-a-thon but walk-ins are welcome.

To learn more about Clark’s story, visit the Tami Clark Foundation Facebook page at www.facebook.com/groups/tamiclarkfoundation. For more information about the cut-a-thon, e-mail tamiclarkfund@gmail.com.

The following salons are participating in the Tami Clark Foundation Haircut-A-Thon on Sunday, Oct. 21 from noon to 4 p.m.:

Antioch

Bella Fortuna Salon, 925-754-4000

Blue Rock Salon, 925-978-9350

Hair Gallery, 925-754-5212

Latinos Hair Salon, 925-753-1663

Teazz, 925-754-3001

Wild Orchids, 925-759-6666

Brentwood

Salon Dame, 925-240-1747

Salon Vitor, 925-240-0161

Vibe Salon, 925-240-9900

Oakley

DK Salon, 925-679-9089

Secret Garden, 925-565-6893

Vamp Salon, 925-418-4949