Taking Control By Shaving it off

We have bad days and worst days, this pass week my mom shaved her head. Now when anyone looks at her his or her first thought is “That person has cancer.” “Hair loss is a societal focal point that says, ‘I’m a cancer patient, and I’m receiving cancer treatment,’” Timothy Panella, M.D., a medical oncologist with The University of Tennessee Medical Center Cancer Institute said in an interview with SELF. This pass week my mother and I had the most wonderful experiences at the Look Good Feel Better event at Danbury Hospital. Look Good Feel Better is an organization partnered with the American Cancer Society that hold workshops that teach beauty techniques to female cancer patients to help them combat the appearance-related side effect of cancer treatments. Four amazingly strong women, all-coming together to be taught by leading cosmetology professionals in the area, attended this event. The two-hour hands-on workshop included a 12-step skin care and makeup lesson; nail care, and professional advice on how to deal with hair loss using wigs, scarves, hat, and other accessories. Each patient at this event is provided with a Look Good Feel Better Makeup Kit. Member companies of the Personal Care Products Council (PCPC) donate products in the makeup kits. The annual impact by the Look Good Feel Better organization is an estimated 150,000 hours donated by their volunteers.

The even at Danbury hospital that my mom and I attended was lead by 3 remarkable women who work for Joe’s Salon in New Milford CT and whom have been volunteering for the Look Good Feel Better organization for over 4 years. Leighann was out wig consultant, Leighann said she has worked for Joe’s for 9 years and has been working at Danbury hospital for about 3 years now, when I asked her what she was most passionate about with her work she said “The wigs at Joe’s program. This wonderful program has given me a chance to make women who are undergoing hair loss from medical treatments look and feel beautiful by helping them with a customized wig.” Victoria was out makeup consulting and along side her was Pilar they both demonstrated best practices to applying makeup, and the best skin treatment for removing makeup. The girls who volunteer for this organization are truly making a difference in peoples lives.

This is an extremely difficult time for my mom, but I can’t say I’m not the most proud daughter in the world at this moment. Seeing my mom take control and make the decision to shave her head, and not let the Chemo take her hair little by little just shows me how strong of a women my mother is and all the other women who do the same thing everyday.