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Breast cancer stories
Share your tales of triumph as a breast cancer survivor or pay tribute to a loved one who has battled the disease.
For Michele VonGerichten, hearing that she needed chemotherapy was almost as devastating as the diagnosis of breast cancer itself. She didn't know exactly what the side effects would be, but she knew that they would drastically change her appearance.
VonGerichten participated in a program called Look Good, Feel Better, a national public service program for cancer patients that addresses the physical changes that are likely to come with treatment, such as hair loss, skin discoloration and dryness. And the workshop she attended near her South Florida home was time well spent.
"I hadn't thought about by eyebrows or lashes. ... My hair had started to grow back, but I lost them almost overnight. It was a crippling blow to my self-esteem," she says. "But I remembered I had been taught how to deal with this."
The key to recreating brows is placement, according to the Look Good campaign. The spot where a pencil, held straight against your nose, hits the brow bone would be the start of the brow. Use the pencil to create a diagonal line from the bottom corner of your nose to the outside corner of your eye. That's the end point.
VonGerichten penciled in her brows with eyeliner and no one but her seemed to notice the change, she says.
Teresa Lopuchin, a Philadelphia-based makeup artist and volunteer with Look Good since its launch 20 years ago, offers other strategies:
VonGerichten participated in a program called Look Good, Feel Better, a national public service program for cancer patients that addresses the physical changes that are likely to come with treatment, such as hair loss, skin discoloration and dryness. And the workshop she attended near her South Florida home was time well spent.
"I hadn't thought about by eyebrows or lashes. ... My hair had started to grow back, but I lost them almost overnight. It was a crippling blow to my self-esteem," she says. "But I remembered I had been taught how to deal with this."
The key to recreating brows is placement, according to the Look Good campaign. The spot where a pencil, held straight against your nose, hits the brow bone would be the start of the brow. Use the pencil to create a diagonal line from the bottom corner of your nose to the outside corner of your eye. That's the end point.
VonGerichten penciled in her brows with eyeliner and no one but her seemed to notice the change, she says.
Teresa Lopuchin, a Philadelphia-based makeup artist and volunteer with Look Good since its launch 20 years ago, offers other strategies:
- Tiny dots of eyeshadow along the lashline, preferably applied with a disposable brush or cotton swab, can mimic lashes.
- Use a cream eyeshadow instead of a powder, because the skin is very sensitive and powder is more likely to flake.
- The best color for lashes and brows would match or be just slightly darker than your natural hair or wig color.
- Patches of dark skin, which range from the size of freckles to much larger, are best camouflaged with a cream concealer slightly lighter than natural skin tone. Lopuchin suggests sticking to peachy shades.
- The Look Good Web site also recommends color-correcting concealers for more specific issues: a green shade will help with redness, and a yellow can mask blue discoloration.
- Dry skin needs gentle moisturizer and gentle lip balm -- and a very gentle cleanser. That's the step often missed, Lopuchin says.
The New Mammo guidelines sicken me. Diagnosed with stage II a breast cancer last August, I had missed my mamo the year before. Could my cancer been treatable with radiation alone? Lobular cancer is detectable by mammo,only. Is there an ulterior motive in the timing of this report?.
Deborah Higgins @ 10:37 AM PST, Nov 17, 2009
Diagnosed Oct 2007, my strong faith in God helped me through it all! My last treatment was January of this year and IâÃÂÃÂm cancer free! I have emerged an inspirational songwriter. One of my songs âÃÂÃÂA Higher PlaceâÃÂàis about the cancer experience. Please visit http://www.mysp-ace.com/leeryemu-sicpublishing.
Lisa Young @ 10:16 PM PDT, Oct 11, 2009
Diagnosed Oct/2007, my strong faith in God helped me through it all! My last treatment was January of this year & IâÃÂÃÂm cancer free! I have emerged an inspirational songwriter. One of my songs âÃÂÃÂA Higher PlaceâÃÂàis about the cancer experience. Please visit http://www.mysp-ace.com/leeryemu-sicpublishing.
Lisa Young @ 10:14 PM PDT, Oct 11, 2009