Facing cancer with confidence

“FASHION

WHEN MARLE Thomas fost her breast to cancer 12 years

ago, a social worker gave her z

# sewing pattern for a pros-

thesis filled with birdseed, To Thomas, coping with cancer
meant dealing with not oniy the devastating effects of los-
ing a breast and the treatment which followed, it meant
coping with a host of emotional issues that accompanied

the disease nnd its treatment.

“Being able to pull it off was a
big emotional factor for me,’’ says
the resident of London, Ontario.
‘And I didn’t think I would be
able to pull it off with birdseed in
my. breast.’” *

Some months fater, Thomas was
- able to find a silicone-filled pro-

 gthesis that met her needs. But she

-¢-is not alone in the frustration she

“felt over the lack of resources

available to her during her treat-

ment and the failure on the part

“of health professionals and the
general public to recognize her
emotional needs, _ .

Twelve years later, such vital
aids for cancer patients are
becoming more available.
Mastectomy boutiques now offer
an array of prosthetic devices. But
the importance of the link between .
a patient's appearance andher |.
well-being is only now being fuily
realized:

Whien the statistics are taken
into account, the importance of

‘ this aspect of grooming aiid fash-
ion becomes clear. One in four
women in British Columbia will

,_ develop cancer before the age of ©
‘70, And this year alone, it is
estimated that more than 2,600 in

; B. C.. will develop breast cancer,

. 7° Im recent. years a number of |

, organiza? zions have sprung up
across North America to address
‘the’ quality-of-life issues that face

women with cancer. in the fall. of ©
1992 the Canadian Cosmetic, _

:. Toiletry and Fragrance Associa-

tion (CCTFA) in Toronto laun-  ..

* ched ‘Look Good...Feel Better’’

(LGFB), a program developed in
the United States in the late ’80s.

: Established to help women who *,

_. are “challenged by the appearance
» changes produced by cancer and | °
-” its treatment,” the LGFB program

. teaches. these women beauty tech-
; niques ‘to help restore self-esteem.

x Locally, the program is ad- .-.

: Ininistered through the Canadian
» Cancer Society's Vancouver Lodge

Groups offer
cancer support

THE FOL. LOWING groups and
organizations are available to give

_ “support. to women coping with |
° eancer:

@ Look Good...Feel Better: This
- two-hour makeover session is of-
«, fered: at. the’ Canadian Cancer
Society’s Vancouver Lodge, 575
W. 10th Ave., Vancouver.’ Cer-
tified .cosmeticians and. wig
Specialists , share their expertise
with’ women undergoing cancer
therapy, whd receive a com-

plimentary kit of skincare and.

makeup products. Offered the
second and fourth Tuesdays of
each month,: 7-9 p.m., the next
session is Tuesday, Oct. 26. Phone
the lodge (879-9131) to register or
for more information.

‘© Bosom Buddies: This North
Shore support group for women
who havé" expetienced breast
disease or breast cancer meets the
last Monday of every month at

7:30 p.m. in the Fireside’ Room, :

Delbrook Baptist Church, 515 W.
Windsor St., North Vancouver.
Phone 929-9619 or 9080 for more

" Information."

@ Coping with Cancer: This sup-
port group meets weekly at Lions
Gate Hospital’s cancer clinic.
Phone. Mona Rechner (984-5831)
for more information.

Layne
Christensen

STYLE NOTES

“at 575 W. 10th Ave., Vancouver.
Every second and fourth Tuesday
of the month, 10 women

,, undergoing cancer therapy, some

accompanied by friends or family,
participate in a makeover session
led by a team of certified
cosmeticians and wig ‘specialists.
Each participant receives a
“goodie bag,’’ an assortment of.

‘ brand-name products in trial and

‘full sizes. The complimentary kit
typically includes: eye makeup
‘remover, skin cleanser, freshener,
moisturizer, concealer, founda-
tion, face powder, blusher,
mascara, lip liner, lipstick,
-.eyeliner, eyeshadows, eyebrow
pencil, body talc, brushes, sponges
and other applicators. :

.; Often, the side effects of ©
chemotherapy treatment can in-
clude dry or blotchy skin, fatigue,
nausea and complete hair loss.
Many. women are deeply affected
by such changes to their-physical
appearance. And in the case of '
women like Thomas who must*
also cope with the loss of a breast
_ through mastectomy,-zhese added
effects can be devastating.

“You're so upset with your
physical appearance that you can’t
fook in the mirror without wan-
ting to break it, and every time
you get dressed you break down in
tears,”’ recalis Thomas. ‘‘Is that
any way to live for the rest of

FOR TICKETS CALL ANY TEXTILE CLEARANCE HOUSE 5 |

ae

your life?”

Not according to program coor-
dinator Debbie Matheson, of the
Canadian Cancer Society, who
sees the benefits of the LGFB
program in the faces of women
who have taken contro! of their
appegrance. ‘Instead of tooking
like a victim of the disease, you
look ike someone who is up to
that challenge, and that's what
you see in the mirror.”

“These ladies have a good
time,’’ says team Jeader Shirley
Northorp of the participants in
this ‘‘girts’ night out.” And for
Northorp, merchandise manager
for cosmetics and fragrances at
London Drugs, and the other vol-
unteers, many of whom live or
work on the North Shore, the
evening also acts as ‘‘an opportu-
nity to give something back.”

Heather Boal, a social worker at
Lions Gate Hospital’s cancer

_ clinic, also recognizes the link

between a patient's appearance
and her well-being. Taking con-
trol of your appearance ‘‘is so im-
portant for your self-esteem,"
says Boal, who sees 178 cancer
patients every month. Of those, 33
are undergoing treatment for the

’ first time, For the women, the

clinic has made available a book,
Changes, Choices and Challenges:
A Guide to Coping With Hair .
Loss and Skin Changes from
Cancer and its Treatment, and an
18-minute video, Facing Cancer
with Confidence.

But the resources are limited.
‘We don’t have the personnel to
run the (LGFB) program,” she
explains. ‘‘We would love to do it,
but... we’re a small operation
here.’’

For that reason, the organizers
of Look Good...Feel Better have
recently introduced a seminar
package, which will’ make the
LGFB program availabie to
smaller treatment centres across
the country.

“Once we get those (seminars)
rolling, there’s just no end to what
we can achieve,’’ enthuses North-
orp, who would like to see the
program introduced into the
education system and available for
bedside consultation as it is in
Toronto.

And that is good news for
women battling the effects of
cancer and its treatment, because
the physical is one component of
their lives they can take control
over. And taking control is an im-
portant step in coping with cancer.

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: Living Life’ 5 Changes
Celebrate Through The Years

Growing with and accepting life's changes has an
important effect on our health. Learn how to celebrate
through the years by reading the Healthy Choices insert
in the November 3 issue of this paper!

The Healthy Choices campaign for your good health i is,
broughet'to you by:

CANADIAN
‘DIABETES
ASSOCIATION

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CANADIENNE
OU DIABETE

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