Program helps cancer patients regain their self-esteem
Published: December 3, 2005
Bobbie Freyholtz thought she had prepared herself, but when she looked in the mirror, it still was a shock.
Looking back at her was a Bobbie she didn’t recognize - a Bobbie with no hair and pale, dry, blotchy skin. A Bobbie who reflected the devastating side-effects of chemotherapy. [Coping with Chemotherapy]
On Aug. 17, during what was supposed to be a routine hysterectomy for Freyholtz, 55, doctors discovered a tumor that they diagnosed as Stage 4 ovarian cancer, an aggressive and often deadly form of the disease. The Salina woman immediately was scheduled for chemotherapy treatments.
After three sessions, Freyholtz began to respond positively. But she also began to feel the adverse effects of chemotherapy: nausea, hair loss and changes in her complexion and skin tone.
Freyholtz was self-conscious about the radical changes in her appearance. Mostly, she was worried about upsetting her young grandchildren, who didn’t understand why grandma was so sick-looking and losing all her hair.
“They looked at me differently, so I wanted to do whatever I could to make them feel comfortable with me again,” she said. “It was also important to try to feel good about myself in whatever way I could.”
Then Freyholtz discovered Look Good, Feel Better, a free program co-sponsored by the American Cancer Society at the Tammy Walker Cancer Center in Salina. It’s designed to teach beauty techniques to women cancer patients to help them combat the appearance-related side effects of chemotherapy. [Ramy Gafni’s Beauty Therapy: The Ultimate Guide to Looking and Feeling Great While Living with Cancer]
If the program is not a literal lifesaver, then it is an much-appreciated appearance-saver.
Group programs are offered every two months at the center, where volunteer cosmetologists using donated cosmetics and skin-care products are trained to show women with cancer how to cope with skin changes and hair loss.
“Before this program, I didn’t realize how much women identify with the hair on our heads - it makes us who we are, and it can be devastating to lose it,” said Pam Ehlts, a certified cancer registrar at the Tammy Walker Cancer Center who contacts cancer patients like Freyholtz to tell them of the program. “Chemo also changes the texture of your skin, so it’s like completely starting over when it comes to applying makeup.
“We’re just trying to give these women some of their power back. While they’re in the middle of chaos, we want them to feel like they’re in control of their lives and their bodies again.”
The nationally based program also is sponsored by the National Cosmetology Foundation and the Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association Foundation. The latter is a charitable organization supported by the cosmetic industry, which donates cosmetic and beauty product kits to be given free to women who attend the program.
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