Kris Fisk finds her calling while caring for mother and her own complexion

ROYAL CITY - Nearing middle age, Kris Fisk has done so many jobs that she struggles to remember them all. Thanks to her willingness to be her mother's care-giver, she has finally found a career.

Kris opened Kris's Skincare Studio in January. It is located at 8115 Road 9.3 SW, Royal City, well out in the countryside. Call Kris for directions.

"GPS will take you some place else," she said.

Kris came upon the option of a skincare career after her mother - a Crohn's Disease patient since 1972 - required surgery in 2009 at Samaritan Hospital. Her mother's condition became so severe that she had to move in with Kris and her husband Clyde "Buddy" Fisk in 2010.

Kris committed herself to doing whatever her mother required. Part of it was caring for a massive wound in the stomach area. It developed in 2010 when surgeons at the University of Washington tried to repair what Moses Lake had done. It had to be kept clean, and the skin around it needed care.

"They taught me how to do it at the University of Washington (hospital)," Kris said.

That was after a time when Kris's mother came near to death. Her systems were shutting down.

Kris was in charge of decisions and, on doctors' advice, decided to pull the plug on an upcoming Tuesday and called relatives to come see her mom.

"That night, (a Sunday) I prayed and I prayed and I prayed and I prayed," she said.

On Monday, a nurse told Kris that her mother's kidneys were working again.

"By Tuesday, the day we were supposed to take her off life support, she finally woke up, after two weeks," Kris said.

Kris's mother lived with her until this spring.

Kris had no idea how tough it would be to take on the role of mom's care-giver. This was not a normal Crohn's case. It was complicated by the surgeries.

With her wound care and IV nutrition, mom required 24-hour care for the first couple years after the UW surgery. Kris slept very little or not much at all.

"Sometimes it was one solid hour of sleep and a few 20-minute power naps," she said.

Kris got a two-day break from her Aunt Betty (her mom's sister) and Uncle Jim occasionally the last two years. They couldn't deal with the wound but could hook up the feeding tube.

Kris now has about a 4-hour a night sleep habit. Buddy came into the kitchen at 2:30 one recent morning and asked what she was doing.

"Baking cookies," she said.

He went back to bed.

Care-giving, which she took on willingly and lovingly, took a toll on Kris. Her complexion and facial appearance went south. Pictures she has of herself back then would make poor booking mugshots.

"I hated looking in the mirror," she said. "I knew I needed to do something."

Kris had had complexion problems before. Working on the Fisk Farm, driving school bus and doing various odd jobs, she was out in the sun a lot.

"I didn't understand the damage I was doing," she said. "I wasn't a person who believed in sunscreen."

In 2003, Kris hosted a spa party and had so much fun she decided to join the direct sales business. That was the first experience that sparked her interest in a skin care career.

"Being in the sun for years, I was suffering from major sun damage, hyperpigmentation (age spots), fine lines and wrinkles," she said. "The dark patches of skin were the worst for me."

Kris is an Idaho gal. She graduated from Twin Falls High School in 1986. Less than a year later, she moved to Othello to live with her Aunt Betty and Uncle Jim, owners of Carpet Carousel.

The first of several jobs was installing flooring with her uncle and cousins. For awhile, she worked in the office at Carpet Carrousel.

"I waited tables, bartended, tried my hand at bookkeeping here and there," she said. "I liked bookkeeping. So I thought that was what I was going to make my career."

Kris met Buddy Fisk in 1989 through a mutual friend. They were married in 1995.

"Buddy was farming hay on his family's farm and decided it was time to try it on his own, and so began my life on the farm," Kris said. "I learned how to move hand lines and irrigation tubes, swath, rake and bale hay."

In Buddy, Kris had not only a husband but an understanding partner when, in July of 2009, Kris's mom had a surgery at Samaritan Hospital that changed their lives.

"The surgery caused many complications, and mom was no longer able to live on her own," Kris said. "Mom had a 3-inch round wound I was taking care of, and keeping her skin around it intact was also my job."

"I loved my mom and loved taking care of her, but my skin was paying the price," Kris added. "I was looking older than I was and not liking it at all."

Kris started thinking about skincare and how much she loved doing spa parties. She started thinking about going back to school to get a license in esthetics and learn how to fix her face.

The school Kris wanted to attend was in Kennewick, an hour and a half away. Victoria's Academy had a Master Esthetician program and was a NCEA (National Coalition of Esthetics Association) school.

"So I would also be nationally certified," Kris said.

This was when Kris realized how solid her husband was. Buddy took on the responsibility of checking on Kris's mom and hooking her up to her nutrition.

"If mom had any issues, they called me or the school, and I would come home and see to her," Kris said. "We luckily only had a few issues while I was there."

Kris completed the 9-month program in seven and a half months. She concentrated on the relaxation aspect of skincare so she could work 1-on-1 with clients. She loves watching their confidence build the more their skin improves, actually liking what they see in the mirror.

"I know they say beauty is only skin deep, but if you aren't happy with what you see in the mirror, it affects how we feel on the inside," Kris said.

Although Kris received her Master Esthetician license in 2012, she didn't look for a job or open a studio. Being mom's caregiver was still her No. 1 priority.

Buddy and Kris turned their "mud room" into a studio, but Kris didn't launch until January of this year. And as long as mom was alive, the launch was slow. She did 1-2 clients a week.

Now Kris is up to 5-6 clients a week, and she expects to grow.

"We lost my tougher-than-nails Mom on May 31, and I have decided it's time to open full time," Kris said.

Kris's Skincare Studio operates Tuesday through Saturday, by appointment only. You may call Kris at 989-2763.