Program helps women with cancer ‘Look Good … Feel Better’ |
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Friday, 03 April 2009 01:00 |
TOLEDO—The American Cancer Society presents the “Look Good … Feel Better” program for women with cancer at noon April 6 at St. Anne Mercy Hospital.
Guided by a volunteer cosmetologist, female cancer patients who participate in the class learn how to use makeup and skin care techniques to overcome the appearance-related effects of chemotherapy and radiation.
“Look Good … Feel Better” is a free, non-medical, product-neutral program offered through a partnership of the American Cancer Society with the National Cosmetology Association and the Personal Care Products Council.
“Look Good … Feel Better is as much about improving and maintaining self-image and confidence as it is about appearance,” says Amy Boehm, quality of life coordinator with the American Cancer Society. “Patients enjoy the opportunity to spend time in a relaxed, non-medical setting with others in the same situation. And the free makeup and instruction from professionals helps them look and feel better.”
According to the American Cancer Society, there are dozens of anti-cancer drugs in use today, each with its own set of possible side effects. On top of the very real physical and emotional concerns of the disease itself, side effects such as hair loss on the scalp, eyebrows or lashes; weight gain or loss; changes in skin pigmentation and texture; skin oiliness, itchiness or peeling; alterations in nail texture and growth rate and tiredness can be devastating to a woman’s self esteem. Patients who have participated in “Look Good ... Feel Better” have called the program an emotional lifesaver because it returns them to a sense of normalcy.
The “Look Good … Feel Better” program is ready to expand, but volunteers are needed to help teach the new programs. Once trained, volunteers are asked to facilitate at least four programs per year.
Registration for the program and information for volunteers is available by contacting Ms. Boehm at 888-227-6446, ext. 5105.
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Last Updated on Thursday, 04 June 2009 09:09 |
