“I Felt Like Me Again”
Some skincare and make-up advice – and the support of fellow cancer sufferers – made all the difference to Jeannette
When I was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer two years ago it hit me like a ton of bricks,” says LGFB patient ambassador Jeannette Keyes. “I had a lumpectomy, full lymph node removal and then chemotherapy, which made me so poorly I was hospitalised.
“I lost all my hair and I hit rock bottom. While my family and friends were all elated the chemo had worked, I just felt awful and unattractive. I didn’t like to go out much. When I looked in the mirror, cancer was looking back at me every single time.
“Then I found out about the Look Good Feel Better workshop held at the hospital where I started my radiotherapy treatment. Make-up was probably the last thing on my mind at the time but my mum encouraged me to go along.
“I went there feeling very fear ful, very low, but I actually came out two hours later with a smile on my face!
“I really feel that was the point when I started to get my confidence back, when I started to feel like Jeannette again.
“It was such a bonding experience being there with the other ladies, and the volunteers were phenomenal, so kind and thoughtful. There was a huge amount of support for everyone in the room.
“Learning to draw on eyebrows was a turning point for me because I found losing my eyelashes probably worse than losing my hair, I felt I’d lost my femininity.
“But actually, feeling good probably had less to do with the actual make-up than the fact that the masterclass had got me up, out and back on the road to recovery.
“I am now planning to put a mothers-and-daughters netball team together for the LGFB netball tournament which takes place in March. It is a great way of raising awareness and introducing people to the charity.
“Many chemo patients won’t know about LGFB, or they might not feel confident about attending a make-up session in that situation – but I am really glad that I did!”
“There was a huge amount of support for everyone in the room…”
just a couple of lashes left. We can show them how to apply colour corrector to mask the skin redness that can be caused by chemotherapy.
“The sessions are a safe space for the ladies. They can take their wigs or scarves off and there is plenty of camaraderie. They arrive not knowing what to expect, then they open these fabulous goody bags containing products donated by the beauty industry and it is like Christmas, their faces light up. As we go through the programme they start talking about the make-up and about themselves and whatever worries they have, with other ladies in the same situation.
“They have lost everything that makes them feel like a woman and they often feel as though they are shadows of their former selves. But they all absolutely love their LGFB session and some say, ‘I have never felt and looked so beautiful before.’ The effect of just putting on a bit of make-up is magical.
“I once worked with a lady who was in a really sorry state. At the end of the workshop I asked her how she felt. She said, ‘I feel great. I want to live.’
“My reasons for volunteering have been paid back a million fold.”
“It’s a safe space. The ladies can take their wigs and headscarves off”