Since undergoing breast cancer surgery last December, Coun. Elizabeth Peloza has been sharing her healthcare journey during chemotherapy in a CTV News series titled ‘Healing in the Public Eye.’ Previous rounds of chemo triggered hair loss, then a recent change to her medications caused her eyebrows and eyelashes to fall out. Peloza turned to the Look Good Feel Better (LGFB) workshop for cancer patients offered inside the Verspeeten Family Cancer Centre at London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC). “Makeup’s never been a strong suit for me,” she admitted. “So, when the many visual changes started happening to me, I was definitely out of my depth about how to address them. So, I signed up for the Look Good Feel Better workshop.” Look Good Feel Better is Canada’s only national charitable program dedicated to helping people manage the appearance-related impacts of cancer and its treatment. Volunteers offer free workshops that teach cancer patients of all ages and genders about skincare, makeup and hair loss including an eyebrow-mapping technique. Team leader Linda Cottell has been running workshops in London since 1994. “We offer a free hair and cosmetic workshop for patients with cancer, and we help them with the appearance-related side effects,” Cottell explained. But the impact of the workshop extends well beyond makeup techniques. “When participants come in, they’re very quiet and shy. They’re not talking a whole lot [because] they don’t know other women who have cancer,” Cottell explained. “After two hours, it’s truly magical what happens in that room. The women are all talking, sharing different stories, and they all leave with a smile on their face.” Peloza understands. “You just feel so terrible inside, and sometimes you let that reflect on your outside,” she said about the side effects of her chemo treatments. As Cottell applied makeup to Peloza’s face, her instructions included many words of kindness and compassion. “You have such beautiful blue eyes,” she told Peloza while rubbing a disposable makeup sponge into an eyeshadow compact. Cottell then warned against reusable makeup brushes during chemotherapy because they can harbour bacteria. Later while applying blush on Peloza’s cheek, she offered this instruction, “I want you to smile. So that’s the best part of putting that [blush] on your cheek. You get to smile into the mirror.” She also asked Peloza about her moisturizing routine to address the extremely dry skin brought on by chemotherapy. “It’s wonderful to see the transformation in people,” Cottell said while examining Peloza’s drawn-in eyebrows. “And it does give them confidence. If you’re not feeling well one day, just a quick lipstick, blush and eyebrows get you out the door and you feel really good.” At the end, Peloza smiled as she gazed in a mirror at the results of her makeup workshop. She spoke candidly to Cottell, “I’ll probably start to care more once I can actually go back out in public. I’ve been kind of isolating after the pneumonia and hospitalized for a week.” Earlier Cottell had explained that the workshops are an opportunity for cancer patients to speak with others who know firsthand what they’re going through. Cottell is herself a cancer survivor. “I personally have had cancer, and I can tell you that all of the other women that have gone through this program helped me when I had mine,” she said. “As you go through treatment and so many things change, you might isolate more because you don’t feel as confident in yourself,” Peloza explained. “You don’t bother to [apply makeup] like you used to. So, it’s getting that back and being reminded that you are still you - and you are still beautiful.” Cottell hopes more cancer patients will try the workshop saying, “We really would like to get the word out because so many patients don’t know about it.” National skincare and makeup brands donate the products given to each workshop participant, and they include shades for all skin tones. LGFB also offers special online workshops for teens with cancer. Details about the program and upcoming workshops (in-person or online) can be found on the Look Good Feel Better website.
