Look Good Feel Better re-opening Oshawa workshops for women facing cancer next month

After more than two years of isolation, many Canadian women facing cancer feel more alone than ever before.

Nearly half of all Canadian women will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime and we are seeing 100,000 new diagnoses every year, yet there are still serious gaps in supportive healthcare programs, with the prevailing opinion that there is a lack of education, information and emotional support available to those facing the dreaded disease.

Look Good Feel Better, Canada’s only national charitable program dedicated to helping women manage the appearance-related effects of cancer and its treatment, will be re-opening its complimentary in-person workshop at Hearth Place Cancer Support Centre in Oshawa September 13 from 10 a.m. to noon. Led by trained cosmetic advisors and hair alternative specialists, each workshop takes women through steps and techniques to look good, feel better and get closer to the person they were before their diagnosis.

Look Good Feel Better understands that the best medicine doesn’t always come in a bottle and after two years of COVID-19 restrictions, is happy to be re-opening its in-person workshops across Canada this year – it’s 30th Anniversary year.

“After being virtual for the past few years, it’s exciting to have Look Good Feel Better workshops back in Oshawa to provide important in-person support that Canadians have been missing,” says Brenda Visconti, Volunteer, Look Good Feel Better. “It’s rewarding to see the incredible impact the organization has on the community, providing a one-of-a-kind experience that supports women and their circle of care.”

Look Good Feel Better (LGFB) is an international organization which traces its beginnings back to a pair of workshops in New York City and Washinton D.C. in 1989. LGFB Canada is based in Toronto.

The program provides beauty tips, tools and techniques in skincare and cosmetics, wigs & hair alternatives and breast forms and garments. They also offer a dedicated workshop for teens and men, all led by expert volunteers in a small group setting. The workshops are provided in a supportive and welcoming environment, encouraging positive mental health and well-being.

With 26 missions worldwide LGFB presents more than 1,500 workshops annually, helping 1.7 people, mostly women and teens. The organization also offers a speaker series and a magazine.

“We know that true health care treats the whole person – not just the physical, but the emotional and psychological aspects too,” LGFB declared on their website. “Research and medical treatments are priorities but there is a growing gap in care for the psychosocial needs of patients facing a cancer diagnosis and treatment – emotional fallout from cancer is often overlooked.”

“Perhaps the most challenging thing about a cancer diagnosis is not the disease itself, but the loss of identity that comes with it. A woman is no longer the mother, sister, wife or colleague, she is the cancer patient. The disease robs her of her sense of self both as a human being and, more specifically, a woman.”

Secure your spot and register for the workshop today by visiting www.lgfb.ca/en/workshop. The Hearth Place Cancer Support Centre workshops accommodate six participants and are filled on a first come, first serve basis. Following the inaugural workshop on September 13, in-person workshops will continue at this location each month.

Hearth Place Cancer Support Centre is located at 86 Colborne St. W in downtown Oshawa.