Look Good…Feel Better is pleased to announce its Women of Hope is Beautiful honorees. In April, the program began the campaign which encouraged women to share their story of coping with cancer here on this blog as a way to inspire others. Look Good…Feel Better received more than 150 inspiring and heart-warming entries from women across the country, which you can read below.
In August, Look Good…Feel Better selected five women – the Women of Hope is Beautiful – whose stories offered the most compelling examples of courage, confidence, control, community and caring, the core values of the program.
The Women of Hope is Beautiful hail from all across the country – from Washington state to South Carolina to New York. They are mothers and wives, sisters and daughters, and while they each fought an individual battle against cancer, they have all benefitted from attending a Look Good…Feel Better session, and are connected by their positive outlook and remarkable determination in the face of this disease. The honorees include:
Lesley Bonner, who began her battle against Hodgkin’s Lymphoma this year, the same week as her 39th birthday. She attended a Look Good…Feel Better session to learn how to deal with her new wigs and head scarves, and makeup application tips. “The best part of the workshop was getting to meet so many beautiful women, all dealing with many of the same issues as myself. I am not alone; I am not different,” she says. Read Lesley’s submission here.
Andrea Brown Buford, 52, who was diagnosed with breast cancer last year and attended a Look Good…Feel Better session. “When I did lose my hair, that first day as I prepared to step out into the world among people that knew me with a head full of hair, I took the time to apply what I had learned on my face, but also, that which I had experienced was in my heart,” says Andrea. “I stepped out knowing I walked in pure radiance.” Read Andrea’s submission here.
Vicki Everhart, 59, a typically strong and independent woman whose breast cancer diagnosis left her frightened and reeling with uncertainty. Vicki calls her Look Good…Feel Better session a “turning point” in her cancer treatment. As she says, “I was so tired and drained from treatments and really only wanted to curl up in a corner…When I left, I felt like I had gotten a new lease on life, and felt pretty for the first time in months!” Read Vicki’s submission here.
Aarika Johnson, who was diagnosed with breast cancer this year on her 25th birthday. As a cosmetology student, Aarika wondered who would want to get their hair cut by the “bald chic.” The Look Good…Feel Better workshop was a turning point: “Someday, I was going to have a woman in my chair getting her last haircut before her treatment begins, and maybe I will be of some comfort to her that she will get through the obstacles ahead.” Read Aarika’s submission here.
Michele VonGerichten, 46, who is a breast cancer survivor. Michele made the decision to get chemotherapy as an aggressive, preventive measure and immediately made the decision to enroll in a Look Good…Feel Better session. She attended the class excited that it was “something just for us women to help build our self esteem.” She says that she felt a kindred spirit with the other women in the session, and “returned home feeling like I could stay beautiful, and that I was not alone!” Read Michele’s submission here.
The five Women of Hope is Beautiful will be honored at the DreamBall, an annual black-tie charity gala at the Waldorf=Astoria, held on September 24, that supports the Look Good…Feel Better program and celebrates its 20th anniversary. They will be introduced on stage at the DreamBall by Hoda Kotb, co-anchor of the Today show and a breast cancer survivor. Kotb is being honored as this year’s “DreamGirl” for her courage in openly sharing her cancer treatment and recovery with millions of viewers on the Today show. The women will also receive complementary makeovers with hairstyling by Anthony Barrow, Avon Global Stylist and Advisor, and makeup application by Ida Abruzzi.
[...] Women affected by cancer are asked to share a personal story of coping with cancer and/or their experience with Look Good…Feel Better in any form (essays, poems, pictures, videos, etc.). All entries can be submitted by visiting their website and will be featured online. In August, five women with the most compelling entries will be selected as the Women of Hope is Beautiful. Winners will receive a trip to New York City, a complimentary make-over and attendance at the annual DreamBall, a black-tie gala and the Look Good…Feel Better program’s largest annual fundraiser. For more info on how to enter click on Women of Hope is Beautiful. [...]
In 2003, I was diagnosed with uterine cancer. My first response was, “it can’t be!” It really took me by total surprise! I went through all the normal responses, of wondering, “why me”, “poor me”, getting angry, crying all the time (still do when remembering all this). I had a very dear friend, that I only knew through the internet, since 1999, who was there for me! When my hysterectomy was done, 8/29/03 and they biopsied everything, to their surprise, I also had ovarian cancer! Had I not had the uterine cancer, thus the hysterectomy, they’d never had known of the ovarian cancer, and I wouldn’t be typing this now! I would have died approx. 3 yrs. ago! I had all my radiation treatments, and in the midst of them, was invited to attend “A Look Good, Feel Good” evening seminar. I hesitated in going, but went and felt so welcomed! The time they spent with each person was so warming & caring. I saw so many other cancer patients, who had been through chemo, and had lost their hair. I realized how fortunate I was that, eventhough there were times I didn’t like it, I still had mine.
Oh, by the way, the person I made mention of, having met on the internet, in 1999, was VICKI EVERHART! She’s one of the 5 that were chosen from writing the essays! CONGRATULATIONS to Vicki, and thank you so much for choosing her, as she’s such a dynamite person! I can only hope that I was as much support to her, as she was to me, during my cancer. I know we share the same feelings, that we view everyday life a whole lot differently, than before. She and her husband, and my husband and I, will actually be meeting, for the first time, this October!
God bless you, for making these 5 girls feel like they are special, as THEY DEFINITELY ARE!!!!