New face means new outlook on life
It wasn’t the first time Ida Deslandes-Guarascia gave that familiar three-word declaration to her husband Randy, but it will go down as one of the most memorable.
In each other’s arms outside the Smithville Train Station, Ida told her husband she loved him.
That marked the culmination of a four-year journey that robbed Ida of her face, her quality of life and her self-esteem.
“It’s changed my life, I’m now not afraid to go out in public anymore,” she said, after Lindsay Gray of Define Hair Design and freelance makeup artist
Judy Lim put the finishing touches on Guarascia’s makeover.
Four years ago, Guarascia developed a spot on her face near her nose. She knew she should have had it checked out by a doctor, but kept putting it off. It was cancer, and it was spreading throughout her face. During an 18-hour surgery doctors were forced to remove her nose, one eye and a large part of her face.
While the cancer was gone, she was left with a giant hole. Going out in public wasn’t easy, as the Smithville resident would often hear nasty comments from people who saw her.
“I’m not going to lie and say it was easy,” she admits.
Experts could fit her with a prosthetic face, which would attach to her glasses, but even after OHIP coverage she’d still be on the hook for $15,000. During the same time Randy had his own health issues, and the couple simply couldn’t afford the cost.
At least until Grimsby resident Sharon Williamson heard Guarascia’s story and decided to rally the community behind the family.
“She’s become my best friend, I love her to death,” Guarascia said.
Williamson began fundraising and the public stepped up. Between a YouCaring page and a paint night held this spring, they managed to raise that $15,000.
“I’m so excited for Ida and just so thrilled that this has happened and everything has come to fruition,” she said.
“Her confidence has just zoomed, it’s skyrocketed and she’s feeling great about herself now.”
Last week Guarascia unveiled her new face, getting the star treatment by Gray and Lim, who volunteered their services.
“It’s not creating a mask, it’s making her feel beautiful in her own skin,” said Lim.
Local photographer Kim
Arndt also volunteered to capture the new look, as Guarascia went out through the town for a photo shoot.
“It’s not like me to do this,” Guarascia said of the shoot.
“I want everybody to have a good look at it and say ‘Hey, look at her, doesn’t she look pretty cool?’”
The prosthetic will take some getting used to. When she first put it on, Guarascia said it was heavy, to the point that it was digging into and cutting her ears. A few adjustments, though, as well as a strap that goes around her head and it was already beginning to feel normal.
“It was ugly, heavy, it was not me. But as soon as I put it on, it was like, wow what a difference,” she said.
“It gives me a confidence that I had lost.”
Guarascia said she’s grateful for the community support, adding she can now look back on the past four years and see the positive responses from the community outweigh the negatives.
“Without them (community supporters), it wouldn’t have happened.”
Now that she can put the ordeal behind her, Guarascia is optimistic about the future.
“I see nothing but good things coming,” she said.
That includes some kind of trip or vacation in September, when she and Randy celebrate their wedding anniversary. She hasn’t figured out what, but Guarascia wants to do something special for the man who stood beside her. And maybe something a little special for herself, too.
“He’s been through a lot, it’s been a rough four years for him.”