Look Good Feel Better to be offered again beginning Dec. 14

A program designed to help women undergoing cancer treatments feel better about themselves is again being offered in Rutherford County.

Look Good Feel Better, offered through a partnership between the Personal Care Products Council Foundation, American Cancer Society and Professional Beauty Association, will be held the second Monday of each month at Rutherford Regional Health System's Cancer Resource Center. The first class is scheduled for Dec. 14 from 5 to 7 p.m. There is no cost to attend.

Led by volunteer beauty professionals, women learn how to cope with skin changes and hair loss using cosmetic and skin care products donated by the cosmetic industry. The free cosmetic kits provided are available in light, medium, dark and extra dark shades to enhance all complexion types.

Any woman who is undergoing cancer treatments or who recently finished treatments is invited to take part in a class, said Gina Lewis, who along with Sheila Yelton, is heading up the class.

"We really want to reach out to women and form those friendships and bonds, and just have a relationship with women," Lewis said.

It was Lewis who brought the program to the county years ago, after receiving a brochure about becoming trained to lead a class.

"It laid on my kitchen counter and I couldn't throw it away," she explained. "I really felt like God wanted me to do this."

She led the class for 12 years, but eventually turned over the reigns. Yelton also helped lead the program for a while, but the program hadn't been offered in a while. Both women now have personal experience with cancer - Lewis is a breast cancer survivor, Yelton's sister is currently undergoing treatment for cancer - and timing seemed to be right for both to volunteer again.

"Being on this side of it .... after having breast cancer, you're missing a big part of yourself," Lewis explained. "You have something in common with these ladies now, and you're on a different playing field."

Volunteering to help other women is rewarding, Yelton said.

"You feel like you've accomplished something," she said. "It's really all about how to make women feel better about themselves."

During the two-hour class women receive instruction on using wigs, scarves and turbans as well as skincare and makeup application. One of the biggest incentives is the cosmetic kit, Lewis said.

"It's valued at $200, and it's theirs to do with whatever," she said. "There may not always be every color they'd normally use, but there are usually items they can use."

It's a fun time for women to spend with others who are on the same journey, Lewis continued.

"It's important to realize you're not alone."

Classes are limited to 12 participants each month. To register, contact the Cancer Resource Center at 828-245-4596.