Now until December 31st, Mary Kay Cosmetics Ltd will match all individual donations to Look Good Feel Better, up to $20,000. Double your impact today and do something beatiful for women facing cancer.
Last year, Katie and Karie were sitting in a room with eight other women of various ages and backgrounds – all who had recently been diagnosed with cancer.
Katie and Karie had never met before, each travelling from different treatment centres to attend a Look Good Feel Better workshop. Both young women had just begun losing their hair during chemotherapy and were eager to learn how to manage these changes, before the hair loss affected their eyelashes and brows.
It’s easy to forget how much of our identity is related to our physical appearance – but at such a vulnerable time filled with uncertainty, simply looking into the mirror and not recognizing the woman staring back at you can have a deep impact on one’s outlook and optimism.
"The most difficult side effect of treatment was the loss of my eyebrows and lashes," shares Karie, "Losing the hair on my head was difficult, but you don't realize just how different you'll look without your lashes and brows until they're gone."
“I was told that I would lose all of my hair, including my eyebrows and eyelashes. That’s when my oncology team informed me of the Look Good Feel Better program. I signed up right away and by the day of my workshop, I had already begun to lose my hair. It was kind of perfect timing,” says Katie.
Katie, Karie and the rest of the women around the workshop table settled in nervously. They were each given a purple kit of tools to learn the techniques: recreating the look of lost brows and lashes, managing changes to skin texture and tone, caring for your scalp and many other ways to feel more like the person you were before facing a cancer diagnosis.
As the women began practicing the techniques on themselves and each other, something beautiful began to transpire – and it wasn’t just the makeup. The women began to open up, smile, share stories and even laugh over shared challenges. Katie and Karie, who had been seated next to each other, bonded instantly over their similar age and experiences throughout treatment.
After the workshop, they exchanged numbers to keep in touch. Throughout treatment and recovery, they became central to each other's circle of support. A year later, Katie and Karie remain close friends.
“The workshop was one of the first times I connected with other women that actually understood what I was going through. That was when I realized I was not alone in this journey,” Katie explains.
“I’m so grateful to have found Katie's friendship and received such meaningful, practical support,” says Karie, “It was such a great experience, and at no cost for us! Before the workshop, I was afraid everyone in my life would see me as 'a cancer patient'. The workshop showed me I can still look and feel like me. I still use those brow tips everyday,” she adds, laughing.
Katie and Karie believe every woman facing cancer deserves the opportunity to feel like herself again, and be part of a community where she can find the support she needs.
At Look Good Feel Better, we want to be there for those mothers, daughters, sisters and friends – but we can’t do it alone.
This holiday season, as we reflect on all the things that fill our hearts with gratitude, we ask you to help us be there for the women you love.
Now until December 31, Mary Kay Cosmetics Ltd. will match all individual donations to Look Good Feel Better, up to $20,000. The impact of your donation will double and your single gift will be able to support two women facing cancer, like Katie & Karie.
Make a gift today: Donate
