• Phoenix Woman Home Page
• Online Articles
• Beauty & Fashion
• Beauty Balm

Beauty Balm

Makeovers Do Wonders for Cancer Patients

By Barbara Maclean

When you're sick, you not only feel weak, but your face is pale, and you probably have dark circles and puffy eyes. It's a lot worse if you've been sick as long as many cancer patients have. For them, looking into the mirror may not be a pleasant experience anymore, but with a touch of makeup and a little pampering, it's possible to feel healthy and beautiful again.

I founded Face in the Mirror to provide emotional support to cancer patients by making them feel beautiful through my complimentary makeovers. My passion for uplifting the lives of cancer patients began with my sister, Charlotte, who had breast cancer. In a desperate attempt to lift her spirit in her final days, I was convinced that a touch of makeup and hair treatment would do the trick. A gentle application of powder and blush combined with a smudge of eye shadow and lipstick transformed Charlotte into a new woman. She was smiling, looked beautiful and felt rejuvenated. It was then that she asked me to promise I would help others the same way I had helped her. Although Charlotte lost her battle to breast cancer in 2001, I kept my promise to her and founded Face in the Mirror in 2004.

My goal is to use the powerful sense of touch to create a calming environment for patients who may have lost hope. Not only do my volunteers apply makeup and offer facials, but we show patients that they are still the person they have always been, and it is the same face in the mirror looking back at them, only this time with some color on their cheeks and a sparkle in their eye.

Today, I've recruited and trained more than a 100 volunteers, who continue to serve 1,800 oncology patients annually at Phoenix hospitals including one in Elkton, Md.Volunteers provide a spa-like experience in the oncology departments. They offer skincare and cosmetic products, along with complimentary facials, makeovers, massages, scarves, wigs, books of poetry and music to women with all types of cancer. The children's outreach includes manicures, books, games, toys, hats and T-shirts. Volunteers also extend their services to patients' mothers or caregivers who often remain at their bedside around the clock.

In addition to providing services in Phoenix, Face in the Mirror regularly receives phone requests and letters from hospitals and medical centers across the country showing interest in the program. I often meet with hospital administrators to further the outreach and explore opportunities to expand the organization.

As the only patient makeover program in the country, Face in the Mirror is committed to improving the emotional and psychological health of cancer patients by encouraging and giving hope to women and children who face the challenges of their disease.

With the support of cancer patients and the satisfaction of giving them hope, I pray that one day the organization's services will reach every woman and child lying in a hospital bed facing cancer throughout the U.S.

Barbara MacLean is the founder of Face in the Mirror and its children's division, All About Us Kids. In 2006, she was presented with the President's Volunteer Service Award by President George W. Bush.