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Anna realized - really realized - that she had cancer when she woke up one morning to find clumps of hair on her pillow, visibly missing from her head. And that wasn't all. In the first few weeks of chemotherapy, she lost eyelashes, eyebrows, arm and leg hair.
"It was so strange to see that I absolutely had no hair. None. That's when it really sets in what you're fighting," Anna said.
Only 37 years old when she was diagnosed in September 2005 with stage three ovarian cancer, this strong, young woman from Edgewater, Florida, did her best to stay as positive as possible.
"I would wear a nightcap to try to save as much hair from falling out, but eventually, I had to get what was left buzzed off by my aunt. That was really emotional…that's when I cried," she said.
As if fighting cancer isn't bad enough, sometimes the side effects of treatment can leave patients, especially women, subjected to feeling even worse. In a time of upset and chaos in fighting their diseases, on top of it, they lose part of their very identity and self-esteem.
Like a bright star in a dark night, Anna learned that Bert Fish Medical Center in New Smyrna Beach, where she was receiving treatment, offered a program in conjunction with the American Cancer Society to help with this devastating development. "Look Good, Feel Better" offers hope to women suffering the effects of cancer treatments to their skin and hair.
"A cosmetologist came in and helps us carefully do our make-up in a way that looks like we have eyebrows and eyelashes, which makes you feel more normal, more like things are back to the way they were which is really important when you are fighting cancer," Anna said.
The cosmetician also helps with using scarves and wigs as well as how to tie turbans. "That part was so great - learning how to make a turban from something as simple as a t-shirt!" said Anna. The program also helped her learn what she could do to help her skin that had become "scaly, like snakeskin," due to the chemotherapy.
"When the outside starts to show that you have cancer, it makes it real. And it is difficult for the patient as well as their spouses, family and friends to see," said Jennifer Garthwaite, Medical Oncology Charge Nurse at Bert Fish. "After they attend the class, I see patients carry themselves differently. Patients have more confidence that they will get well."
"If women feel like they look good and like their normal selves, it helps them feel better and feel less conspicuous," said Paula Losnes, facilitator of the "Look Good, Feel Better" program at Bert Fish Medical Center. Paula explained that major cosmetic companies - like Estée Lauder, Revlon, Almay, Clinique and others - all donate products to the program. "When women come to the ‘Look Good, Feel Better' program, the first thing they are treated to is this large make-up kit full of brand-new, brand-name products," explained Paula. Then they are taught tricks for putting it on to combat the negative side effects of cancer treatment and get to take home all their new products.
The second part of the program is dedicated to helping women with wigs and other methods of covering their heads. Some women choose to buy their own wig; however, Bert Fish does have wigs available. "It really can be fun -- and red hair is the most popular color of wig. Many women tell us, ‘I always wanted to be a redhead!' It helps take the focus off the hair loss," said Paula. "Sometimes wigs can be itchy, especially in the summer, so the class also covers how to creatively and effectively use scarves and turbans." The turbans at Bert Fish are donated by a local church.
What's more, local hair salons also go the extra mile to help women who are battling the effects of cancer. "Some salons have a special, private area to shave women's heads, because it really can be traumatizing and emotional. Also, many of them will do it for free if the patient tells them they have cancer," said Jennifer.
But this one-day program offers more than make-up and hair tips. It offers friendship with others who are going through similar situations. "The camaraderie is important, too. These women have fun and can relate to each other very deeply," said Paula. "When Anna went through the program, she was roaring with laughter by the end of class."
Today, Anna is cancer-free and her natural hair has grown back. "It's actually thicker and curlier than before!" she said with a huge smile. "The ‘Look Good, Feel Better' program gives back to you part of your dignity and self-esteem at a time when you need it the most. For that, I am so grateful. I thought, even though I'm sick, if I put on make-up or a turban, I feel better. I made it another day."
For more information about the "Look Good, Feel Better" program at Bert Fish, interested persons may contact Losnes at (386) 424-5038.
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