Support group helps people cope with cancer
Every 22 minutes in New Zealand someone will be told “you have cancer”, with more than 26,000 people diagnosed a year.
Navigating cancer can be as daunting emotionally and mentally as it is to physically deal with prognosis and treatment.
People lose their identity, feeling like they are a cancer patient, not a person. While many continue to work, others find their new normal is becoming more isolated and feeling alone.
Which is why Look Good Feel Better provides a range of free sessions, both online or in-person, for anyone with any cancer at any stage of treatment.
The wellbeing programme ranges from the signature skincare and make-up class held throughout New Zealand, through to live online sessions such as chair yoga, gentle pilates and mindfulness.
The charity also has a range of on-demand refresher videos, popular and information expert Q&As and its Cancer Conversations podcasts.
“The programme is focused on skin, hair, mind and body – providing feel better moments, and tools and tips to help people face cancer with confidence,” Look Good Feel Better general manager Clare O’Higgins says. “They are an opportunity to do something practical and to connect with others who may be experiencing something similar, away from the world of cancer diagnosis and treatment.
“All the sessions are free and participants are welcome to take a friend or family member to the community sessions or sit in on the virtual programme.”
Each month Look Good Feel Better hosts an online Q&A session with insights and expertise from a wide range of people. This includes someone working in healthcare, or a professional whose life experience is applicable to someone with cancer or their loved ones. They provide a way to help you feel more empowered and confident while navigating cancer.
Look Good Feel Better’s on-demand series is a library of short videos and podcasts that are available at any time.
They are a refresher for some of the classes, across a range of wellbeing and skincare and make-up topics such as how to find calm through breathing, how to look after your skin during treatment, how to deal with neuropathy, how to care for your wig and how to tie a scarf hat.
Cancer survivor Helen King hosts the Cancer Conversations podcast series, chatting with patients about their experiences, and experts give their insights on navigating cancer from diagnosis to post-treatment.
They include coping with cancer emotions, navigating life and work post-cancer, the power of communication, and personal styling to give you confidence.
These support services are funded through public donations and can make a huge difference, O’Higgins says.
Gillian Curtis attended a Look Good Feel Better online skincare and make-up session via Zoom and did immediately feel better.
“When my hair went, I didn’t realise how much it was going to hit me. I felt that was the only thing that people ever complimented me on. I didn’t even like looking in the mirror,” the Orewa mother of two says.
“It is just nice to meet people who are going through the same thing. You get a sense of community. You’re not talking about cancer as such, you’re talking about what you can do to make the best of this situation.”
Anyone with any cancer at any stage can register for a free class at lgfb.co.nz