Face in the Mirror Gives Hope by Pampering Cancer Patients

I was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia at Christmas time. I've spent most of my time since then in hospitals. I've learned something about hospital stays I never learned as a visitor. There are so many different volunteers whose focus is on keeping patients in good spirits. These angels volunteer their time without pay, to help others. Today I met an organization called Face in the Mirror whose goal is to pamper patients.

The motto on Face in the Mirror's website is clear, "Changing the Face of Cancer...One Patient at a Time!" That is exactly what their volunteers do. They go into patients' rooms and pamper them. For women, they do a mini-facial, make-over and a gentle hand and foot massage.

They gave me a bag of Arbonne skin products, which are all natural, vegan and wonderful for your skin. I received Ginger Citrus body butter which smells heavenly and not to cloying sweet, which could bother patients on chemotherapy. Next was Nurturing Day Lotion with SPF 20 which is a light, non-greasy moisturizer for the face. Last, but definitely not least, is the Intelligence Not-So-Basic™ Herbal Foot Cream which made my feet tingle.

I am a wife and a mother of a very active six-year-old boy and don't normally have time to pamper. I have been diligently using the lotion the hospital provided but after a few weeks, my heels were dry and cracked, and I was in desperate need of a pedicure. My face and arms were also getting dry from all the medications and the chemotherapy. Volunteers Jacqueline and Roberta cleansed my face, moisturized it and then gave me a gentle hand and foot massage with these products. My skin looks and feels great!

They didn't stop there. I was presented with beauty products, all of which are Arbonne except the brush. They used Perfecting Liquid Foundation with SPF 15, which felt like I had nothing on at all. Dusty Rose blush which was a great choice for my skin tone, to apply it they used an Elf Professional Total Face Brush. Next, they applied Cocoa eyeliner, Rose Petal lipstick and Nude lip polish. They also include Dual Volume mascara, but I opted out of using it. I looked and felt pretty for the first time in weeks.

All of these products were full-sized and I get to keep them all. But wait, there's more- when they run out, Face in the Mirror will replace them for me. All of this is provided free of charge.

The angels at Face in the Mirror also can do your hair or, since chemo causes hair loss, offer wigs and other head coverings. They gave me a little mirror and a CD which includes a beautiful song inspired by a poem written by one of the recipients of their wonderful transformations.

Face in the Mirror was started by Barbara MacLean whose sister and best friend, Charlotte Mae McCracken, lost her breast cancer battle in 2001. Barbara did a make over on Charlotte during a hospital visit that left her sister feeling rejuvenated and pretty. Charlotte asked Barbara to "do this for others" and in 2004 Barbara honored her promise to her sister and started Face in the Mirror. What a loving testament to her sister Charlotte.

As a new recipient of Face in the Mirror's volunteers' time and gifts, all I can say is thank you. Thank you to the volunteers who give their time with no monetary rewards, thank you Charlotte for thinking of helping others in the same battle as you, and thank you Barbara for pouring your love for your sister into Face in the Mirror. You have brighten my outlook and not just my face and made quite a difference to this cancer patient.

Sources:

Face in the Mirror website

Arbonne website

My video showing each item I received and my post make over face