News

Closer Magazine

Our fab makeover will help us beat cancer!'
Monday 13 October 2008

After being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004, music PR executive Caroline Monk didn’t even consider the prospect of losing her life – but she was devastated at the prospect of losing her hair.

Looking like a ‘bald alien’ she dreaded looking in the mirror after her hair, eyebrows and eyelashes fell out and she was left feeling unfeminine and depressed, her body ravaged by chemotherapy.

Caroline Monk and her protegees after the makeover

So last year she set about helping other cancer sufferers by organising free pampering days – worth over £1,000 – where they were given their own designer wigs at Toni & Guy hair salons and made over with manicures, makeup sessions and even tattooed eyebrows by top makeup artists.

“When I was ill, there were days I felt so low because I looked so hideous and I would have jumped at the chance of being given a makeover,” says Caroline, 40.

“After writing a column in Closer about my illness I was inundated with letters and emails from cancer sufferers not worrying about dying but about how they looked.

Since its launch last year Caroline’s Campaign has helped dozens of women in Manchester, London, Birmingham and Leeds and Closer joined her last week in Sunderland where her team of volunteers gave dramatic new looks to four more ladies, whose lives and confidence had been shattered by cancer.

JACQUELINE BEVAN, 39 Jacqueline Bevan after the makeover

Mum-of-five Jacqueline Bevan thought the stinging under her right armpit was a result of her somersaulting over the handlebars of her mountain bike on a ride with her partner Michael last March. But when she also felt a lump she headed straight to her GP and hospital tests revealed she had a large tumour.

“My first question to the doctor was not ‘am I going to die?’ but ‘is my hair going to fall out,’ she say. Within two weeks of starting chemotherapy, her ‘pride and joy’ - her long jet-black hair - was falling out in clumps.

“Losing my hair broke my heart, so to make the process less traumatic I cut it into a bob. But just days later it was coming out so quickly I asked my partner to shave the lot off. I did get a wig but it made my head so hot I stayed bald even though my five year old Joshua said I looked like a man”

After her daughter KayleighAnn, 17, nominated her for Caroline’s makeover through an advert in her local Sunderland newpaper, Jacqueline, a natural brunette, decided she wanted to be a ‘blonde bombshell’ for the first time in her life, She chose a shoulder-length number, to which Toni & Guy stylist Jen Deighton added more layers to frame her face.

With her once ashen complexion replaced by glowing cheeks and red lipstick, thanks to Fresh Minerals makeup artist Clare Charlwood-Jagger, she couldn’t stop laughing with delight. “I feel like a woman again, not a cancer patient, in fact I feel like a totally different person. The foxy chick is back!” she beamed.

ANGELA ROBSON, 29 Angela Robson after the makeover

Angela Robson fainted when doctors broke the news that the lump she had found in her left breast during a bath in February was a tumour. “I hadn’t been feeling well since October so when I found a lump, in the back of my mind I knew it could be cancer but hearing the news was still a terrible shock,” says the NHS support worker from Sunderland.

“I have always been so healthy, I was just 29, and there is no history of cancer in the family so I couldn’t believe why I had I had developed cancer, and an aggressive stage 3 version at that.”

Surgeons removed the tumour as well as the lymph nodes under her armpit before she embarked on chemo and radiotherapy and a five month course of the drug Tamoxifen which has induced an early menopause.

“That part is really tough as I would have loved to have a baby,” she says. Being bloated from steroids and practically hairless all over just made the cancer burden even more unbearable.

Angela had got a blonde NHS wig but she claimed it made her resemble an extra from the Sheila’s Wheels TV advert so she opted to use bandanas or just go bald.

“It’s great being given balloons and flowers when you are ill but in fact a makeover like this is what has really made the difference. You need to treat your mind as well as your body. Now I’ve got fantastic long hair (courtesy of wig specialists Trendco) again I can wear my pretty dresses again instead of boyish jeans to match my boyish crop! And after Christmas I think it’s time to find a boyfriend!”

 

JOANNE THOMPSON, 38 Joanne Thompson after the makeover

Shop assistant Joanne Thompson is looking forward to being ‘a party animal’ once more thanks to her new wig when she and six girlfriends hit Dublin next week for a birthday bash. “I do like to enjoy myself but I’ve not been out for months because I felt so down about my looks.

“I couldn’t wear mascara as I’d lost my eyelashes and my once lovely shoulder length blonde hair had fallen out so much I was about to ask the NHS for a wig when I found out my sisters had nominated me for a makeover.”

In March Joanne was diagnosed with an aggressive kidney tumour after agonising pains started in her right side and in April surgeons removed the entire kidney.

She agreed to take part in a trial of a new chemotherapy treatment to kill off any remaining cancer cells but an adverse reaction to the tablets left her entire swollen body and covered in blisters and sores. Her three children Callum, ten, Chloe, 11, and 20 month old baby Millie-Mae, even cried in terror when Steve brought them to see her in Newcastle General.

Her skin eventually cleared but she was left depressed. Bio Nails technician Sue Green added hot pink nail gels after chemo had left Joanne’s brittle and flaking and because her eyebrows had all but disappeared medical tattooist Cathy Beck drew them back on.

“It’s great to have brows again and they look so realistic while the real ones grow back over them,” says Joanne, “My appearance is very important part of the recovery process. Now I won’t have to avoid mirrors any more and I’ll definitely be back down my local tonight practising for Dublin!”

ANGELA PETCH, 54 Angela Petch

A makeover couldn’t have come at a better time for retired nursery teacher Angela Petch. Just a week earlier she had been diagnosed with cancer for the third time in as many years “I really needed a pick-me-up after receiving the news and this makeover left me feeling beautiful,” she says.

The once super active grandma from Sunderland was diagnosed with ovarian cancer after she struggled on one of her regular ten mile coastal hikes. “I felt so tired I couldn’t get out of bed and my abdomen was bloating up so much I looked nine months pregnant and a CT scan revealed I had stage 3 Ovarian cancer,” she explains.

Six rounds of chemo caused her waist length straight hair to fall out which her three year old granddaughter Chloe would try and stick back on with sellotape. Angela was given a NHS wig when her real hair grew back dark and curly.

“I no longer felt like it me was me when I looked in the mirror as my hair looked so different. I tried to put on mascara, which I always wore, but when it went all over my eyelid I realised they were no longer there. I laughed but it was heartbreaking,” she says.

More devastating news came in October 2007 when cancer cells were found in her lungs and she lost her hair again with five more months of chemo. “Second time round was harder as I knew what to expect,” she says.

Then two weeks ago, after getting pains in her stomach area, cancer cells were found all over her body but she must wait to have more chemo until her body has recovered from the last punishing round.

“I do get down and think I am never going to get out of this hole but having the wonderful makeover has given me a reason to go on and fight. It has made me feel special for a while but at the same time, just like an ordinary person. I can’t wait to show my husband,” she smiles.

For more on Caroline’s Campaign, visit www.carolinescampaign.org.uk

Click here to find out more about the experts who helped to transform our brave readers

By Vicky Grimshaw

Sunderland Echo

The world is upside down and no mistake.
There’s Jordan getting thousands for flashing her boobs and Caroline Monk, at her wits’ end as to how she can get cash to help boost women battling breast and other cancers.

Selfless Caroline, 40 today, who lost her hair following chemotherapy for breast cancer, is dedicating her life to her national campaign.

The trouble is, organising makeovers like the one that touched the lives of four brave Wearside women this week, means she is all but penniless. She can’t pay her rent this month and is not the kind of woman to go out with a begging bowl.

So I’m doing it for her sending out this heartfelt SOS for a sponsor to back her. Surely there is someone out there who can help?

She doesn’t want money for herself, just enough to keep the campaign going and cover her overheads, travel, telephone and computer.

This dynamic woman, who quit her job as a PR executive and magazine consultant to give women fighting cancer the chance to feel like a woman again, is now looking for a part-time job.

She is devoting all her energy, time and what little money she has left to the campaign.
Caroline is struggling financially and refuses to be beaten. But I can see her being broken by the costs of simply paying her way. And what a tragedy that would be if all that she has striven for in the last two years goes to the wall.

She is determined to keep going even more so after seeing not just the physical transformation in our winners but also the psychological boost it brings to women in the same boat hiding from the world in their NHS wigs, their confidence as thin as the bandanas they wear.

Wednesday was such an emotional and unforgettable day for them and all of us who were involved. We all wept together. It was all so humbling and everyone’s gratitude was tangible.

The trouble is it all seemed so very wrong that after all Caroline had done in our city, which she rated “ the best on earth” for warmth and friendliness, she left Sunderland, out on a limb, after being up at the crack of dawn in London, to return by train because she couldn’t afford the price of a night’s hotel stay.

Our winners were overwhelmed, transformed in looks and demeanour. And none more so than Pennywell mother of five, Jackie Bevan, 39, who has breast cancer, and whose 17-year-old daughter Kayleighann, who nominated her, walked past her, saying “Where’s me mam?”

There was Seaham mother-of-three Joanne Thompson, 37, who is recovering from kidney cancer. She is suffering side effects of a reaction to a chemotherapy drug that she agreed to trial. She lost her hair, eyelashes and eyebrows and her body is scarred from blisters.

Angela Petch, 54, of Elstob Place, Sunderland, is fighting cancer for the third time in three years.
And Angela Robson, 29, of Hendon, who had a breast cancer op this year, couldn’t stop smiling.
Anything that puts a smile on the face of women like this is worth fighting for.
Next month, Caroline, who is being inundated with requests for makeovers, is making it happen for another four women in London, then Essex, Leicester and Cornwall.

She told me: “I am getting letters from people who want me to go. I have to carry on.”
But what with? The wigs are given free and beauticians give the women tattooed eyebrows and false eyelashes and stylists their time, like Sunderland’s Toni&Guy.

In our world, transient fame is rewarded with mega money and what really matters like Caroline’s campaign misses out. Here, anyone making a donation would know it is going directly to help keep this fantastic work ongoing, without anyone taking a cut.

Anyone who wants to help should log onto www.carolinescampaign.org.uk

The makeover day is October 7 at the Sunderland salon of Toni&Guy in High Street West.

It is the idea of dynamic public relations executive and magazine columnist Caroline Monk, who lost her hair following chemotherapy for breast cancer.

Meeting other women in the same boat fired her to launch a national campaign involving stylists around the country.

She said: "I found the main thing these women were talking about wasn't dying or worrying about treatment - but how they looked.

"They were so depressed about how they looked they didn't want to leave their houses. Following chemo they had no hair, no eyelashes and no eyebrows."

Our four women will have wigs cut to suit their faces as well as tattoos to replace their lost eyebrows and eyelash extensions.

Closer Magazine

Caroline's campaign experts
Tuesday 14 October 2008

Here are the people who helped to make it happen:

Wig suppliers Trendco’s Emma Ferguson Fibre wigs are natural -looking and easy to maintain

“We donate our wigs for free as we are really proud to be able to help Caroline’s Campaign.

We use our high fashion collection of fibre wigs- which are worth between £75 to £200-instead of human hair as with our cancer ladies, it’s important they are low maintenance and don’t require much washing and brushing.

They can be easily adjustable inside using elastic and don’t require any hairgrips to stay on and can be easily styled like the ladies’ real hair.

Wigs these days have come along way in that the feel, look, style and colours used and having the trimming service makes the wigs very personal.”

FineMinerals' makeup artist Clare Charlwood-Jagger

“Skin is the first thing to suffer with chemotherapy and leaves them with dark and dry circles around the eyes so I want to enhance the ladies’ skin and make it glow again giving them a very natural looking makeup.

Cancer sufferers are told to avoid makeup as it blocks skin pores, but we use pure mineral cosmetics that don’t contain ingredients like talc, which can block pores. Our aim is to heal, seal and protect the skin.

When women are diagnosed nothing is done to help protect their looks so that is where I come in. For me, beauty is not solely about vanity but about restoring confidence and they become different women with a few strokes of a makeup brush.”

Permanent Cosmetics - Cathy Brown Permanent make-up lasts for up to two years

“I really enjoy doing Caroline’s Campaign as it totally restores the ladies to how they looked before and boosts their confidence.

Without eyebrows the face changes completely but using a fine flat needle I can painlessly draw on the appearance of the individual brow hairs when all or just part of the brow is missing. It’s no more painful than eyebrow plucking but the effect lasts up to two years and the hair grows back over the tattoo.”

Bio Nails' Technician - Sue Green

“Cancer medication can affect the nails and leave them brittle, dry and ridged so we can apply gels to correct this and help shape them.

We also used proteins and mineral bases to feel and strengthen the nail as well as adding colours and designs including our own funky pink breast cancer ribbon designs. It’s great fun and seems to be a great pick-me-up for the ladies.”
Readers CommentsReaders Comments

 

 

Hilarie Stelfox
Women's Editor/Feature Writer
Huddersfield Examiner

Caroline’s Campaign, which helps women fighting breast cancer to look and feel beautiful, was started by a survivor of the disease who believes that boosting self esteem and confidence is an important part of the battle . Huddersfield woman Sue Dawson was nominated by friends to join a Caroline’s Campaign make-over masterclass in Leeds. She talked to Hilarie Stelfox

SUE DAWSON has always believed that family and friends were the most important things in her life.
But until she developed breast cancer she never fully realised just HOW important.
“They have been so loving and supporting. It has given me confidence and courage,’’ says Sue, who is more than half way through treatment for an aggressive breast tumour.
As well as being there to help Sue through her surgery and subsequent chemotherapy, friends also nominated her for a Caroline’s Campaign make-over in Leeds.
It was, says Sue, “an experience that gives you a feeling of well-being; a feeling that you can look good even with cancer. You might have lost your hair, your eyebrows, your eye lashes and, in some cases, you have lost your breast as well, but you can go on and feel positive about it.’’
Caroline’s Campaign was launched two years ago by former Yorkshire woman Caroline Monk, who was diagnosed with breast cancer back in 2004 at the age of just 34.
Having successfully fought the disease Caroline wanted to set up a charity that gave individual help to sufferers. She travels to major cities, bringing together women currently fighting cancer, and organises top-to-toe make-overs. Caroline finds wig makers and beauty therapists and arranges for everything from permanent make-up to replace lost eyebrows, to new outfits.
Sue, a former medical secretary, was nominated by two friends, Ann Marshall and Vivienne Howard. Neither knew that the other had put Sue’s name forward.
But both were inspired by the way that Sue has faced breast cancer.
After the diagnosis in January this year, the 61-year-old had a mastectomy followed by chemotherapy.
Sue says that she had prepared herself for the worst when she and her husband Graham went to see the consultant to find out if she had cancer. But Graham admits that the diagnosis “was like being hit around the head with a baseball bat.’’
The couple, who have a 31-year-old daughter and are now retired, are both members of St John’s Church, Upperthong, and say that their faith has helped to carry them through their ordeal.
Sue, a pastoral carer, is more used to caring for other people and admits that, at first, she found it difficult to accept that she needed help.
“People find it easier to give than to receive, but I have learned how to receive and it is a humbling experience. I am much more aware now of the love and kindness of other people’’ she explained.
Sue has also had the support of members of the ladies choir Vocal Expressions, to which she belongs.
Her friend Vivienne, a fellow member, explained how she came to nominate Sue for a Caroline’s Campaign make-over: “Ten days after her mastectomy, Sue stood before us at rehearsal, thanked us for all our support, and told us that she would still be singing with us whenever possible. She impressed us all greatly when she said she had no idea how she was going to look in the near future but that ‘inside this body I am the same person’ - the Sue we all know and love. She has such guts and great faith.’’
When Sue began losing her own, blonde, hair she began wearing a short auburn wig and says that Graham liked it so much she has decided to remain auburn when her hair grows back.
She was given a second, longer wig, at her make-over and now alternates between the two.
Sue was so impressed by her experience with Caroline’s Campaign that she now wants to support the work of Caroline Monk.
Make-overs are, she says, a way for women undergoing breast cancer treatment to have a life-affirming experience.
“Life does go on and it is very precious, as I’m finding out.
“Having breast cancer has given me inner strength and ways of coping with adversity. I’ve also discovered my weaknesses.
“But the make-over was fantastic. I can’t tell you how wonderful it felt and what a great day we had.’’
* For details of Caroline’s Campaign and how you can support it, check out www.carolinescampaign.co.uk

 

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7371241.stmFighting to see the beauty behind breast cancer

Daily Mail

Stylish new hairstyles are not the only thing these women have in common - they have also all been battling cancer.

Depressed at losing their hair as a result of undergoing chemotherapy, the quartet were all given a free makeover featuring designer wigs with the help of top stylists and make-up artists.
Cancer patients with new wigs

Left to right: Cancer patients Pauline Sheehan, Irene North, Gabby Mottershead, and Lisa Barnes are delighted with their new, realistic wigs. 'I feel like a woman again,' said one

Yesterday they told how their dramatic new looks had given them a huge boost as they fought the disease and called for similar pampering sessions to be offered to all women going through the same ordeal.

The campaign is the idea of top music PR Caroline Monk, who lost her hair following chemotherapy for breast cancer in 2004. The four women had specially-chosen wigs cut to suit their faces by a stylist at a Toni & Guy salon as well as tattoos to replace their lost eyebrows and eyelash extensions.

Worth as much as £1,000 each, the makeovers were provided for free by the various beauty experts as part of a national campaign.

Among the women - who were nominated by loved-ones and cancer support groups - was mother-of-two Gabby Mottershead.

"This came at just the right time for me," she said afterwards. "I had a mastectomy in June and was feeling really low.

"I had very short hair before the chemo so I didn't think I would be that bothered about losing my hair.

"But I lost my eyebrows and eyelashes too and you feel all the character has gone out of your face."
Caroline Monk

PR Caroline Monk set up the scheme after losing her own hair through chemo

Like many women, the 45-year-old, from Davyhulme, Greater Manchester, was offered a wig after her hair fell out, but it was nothing compared to what she received as part of the makeover.

"The wigs you are offered at the time aren't that great," she said. "So this experience has been absolutely fantastic.

"It looks much more like my own hair and I feel normal again. I feel like somebody has actually treated me like a woman instead of a patient."

Lisa Barnes, 35, from New Moston, Manchester, saw it as a chance to have some fun with her image again after undergoing chemotherapy, radiotherapy and a mastectomy.
She said: "I used to have really long dark hair but I thought I'd go for something blonde and funky. It really boosted my confidence, it's definitely something all women going through chemo should be offered."

The makeovers were the idea of public relations executive and magazine columnist Caroline Monk, who lost her hair following chemotherapy for breast cancer in 2004.
She said: "I found the main thing these women were talking about wasn't dying or worrying about treatment - but how they looked.

"These women were so depressed about how they looked they didn't want to leave their houses. Following chemo they had no hair, no eyelashes and no eyebrows.
"So I started a Facebook site calling for hairdressers and make-up artists to help me make these women feel better."

Using money raised by selling her engagement ring after splitting up with television presenter Matthew Wright, she had already organised similar makeover days in London, Birmingham and Leeds before the latest event in Manchester.

The wigs were provided for free, as were the hair styling, make-up, eyelash and eyebrow enhancements, and the women also had their nails done.
Miss Monk is now planning more sessions in Newcastle-upon-Tyne and London and wants more women suffering from cancer to be offered similar help.
"At the moment it's a real postcode lottery as to what wigs you are offered," she explained.

"But they can make such a difference to how these women feel and really change their lives. There should be places all over the country offering these kind of makeovers."

Manchester Evening News

'We feel great after hair tonic'
Helen Tither
30/ 7/2008

LAUGHING and smiling for the camera, these four trendy women look as if they don't have a care in the world.

But the smiles hide the truth that all have been diagnosed with cancer - and each has lost her hair to chemotherapy

Now they've been given a morale-boosting new look with the help of designer wigs under a pioneering scheme for women cancer patients. The four were nominated for the special makeover by the Christie Hospital, where they are being treated

They were each given wigs from Hudson's in Manchester, which were then styled as they wanted by Trevor Sharpe, of Toni & Guy, on Deansgate. The results were dramatic - and emotional.

Mum-of-two Gabby Mottershead, 45, from Davyhulme, said: "This came at just the right time for me.

"I had a mastectomy in June and was feeling really low.

"I had very short hair before the chemo so I didn't think I would be that bothered but it was very upsetting to lose my hair. I lost my eyebrows and eyelashes too and you feel all the character has gone out of your face.

"The wigs you are offered at the time aren't that great. So this experience has been absolutely fantastic. It looks much more like my own hair and I feel normal again. I feel like somebody has treated me like a woman again instead of a patient."

Lisa Barnes, 35, from New Moston, saw it as a chance to have some fun with her image again after undergoing chemotherapy, radiotherapy and a mastectomy. She said: "I used to have really long dark hair but I thought I'd go for something blonde and funky. It really boosted my confidence, it's definitely something all women going through chemo should be offered."

The makeover is the idea of top music PR Caroline Monk, who lost her hair following chemotherapy for breast cancer in 2004. Caroline, the former girlfriend of TV presenter Matthew Wright, wrote a column about her treatment for a magazine, and was inundated with 700 letters a week from women sharing her story. She said: "I found the main thing these women were talking about wasn't dying or worrying about treatment - but how they looked.

"These women were so depressed about how they looked they didn't want to leave their houses. Following chemo they had no hair, no eyelashes and no eyebrows. So I started a Facebook site calling for hairdressers and make-up artists to help me make these women feel better."

Using money raised by selling her engagement ring after the relationship with Wright ended, Caroline travels across the country performing makeovers with a difference.

She offers not only make-up treats but provides wigs that can be cut, coloured and styled to look like volunteers' real hair, instead of the standard wigs offered to women undergoing treatment - which do not always suit their face shape, may be the wrong colour, or might simply be made with too much hair.

Now, after the success of her Manchester visit, Caroline is campaigning for similar free treatment to be provided to all women going through cancer.

June 27th

I was nominated for The Yorkshire Women of Achievement Award and went to the event on the 27th June in Leeds. I was so blown away that someone had nominated me. Whoever you were/are thank you so much! I took my Mum and she was very proud of me. I was a little embarrassed as I felt I didn't deserve to be with so many worthy people. I didn't win but it really has made me even more determined to make my campaign the best it can be.

 

May 3rd

Cancer sufferers helped to look great... and feel great

The four women transformed

29 April 2008
By Chris Bond
THEY could be any group of friends enjoying an afternoon of pampering, but for Jane Margerum, Sue Dawson, Ulrike Grigoleit and Caroline Mitchell, yesterday's beauty makeover was extra special – for they are all battling against cancer.
The four women, who have all lost their hair during chemotherapy, had their nails and make-up done by beauty experts, chose wigs cut by Tony and Guy stylists, and it didn't cost them a penny.

The event, held at the Marriott Hotel, Leeds, was organised by Caroline Monk to raise awareness for Caroline's Campaign, which she set up "to make women who are going through cancer feel and look beautiful".

Each of the four women was nominated by friends or family who responded to an article in the Yorkshire Post earlier this month asking readers to contact Caroline, who has herself fought against cancer.

Caroline wrote about her experience for a national magazine and started her campaign after being inundated with letters and emails from fellow cancer sufferers.

"I couldn't believe how many women wrote to me not because they were scared of dying, but because their hair had fallen out and they felt depressed about the way they looked."

She enlisted everyone from cosmetic experts to wigmakers to help give the women a day to remember.

"I want to show that cancer doesn't have to be all doom and gloom and if you can make people look fantastic then they're more likely to feel fantastic," said Caroline, who is also patron of the Pink Ribbon Campaign.

Having already organised makeover days in London and Birmingham she hopes to hold similar events all over the country. "I'm going to try and get this out to as many cities as possible and show that women with cancer can look glamorous.

"I've been funding this by myself but I would love some sponsorship and perhaps I could even get the NHS on board."

For the women themselves, yesterday's makeover was a welcome respite from gruelling rounds of chemotherapy. Jane Margerum, who works for an insurance brokers in Bradford, was first diagnosed with cancer 10 years ago but after an initial recovery it returned.

"You have good days and bad days and there are times when the treatment seems never-ending. One of the worst things about cancer is losing your hair because you lose your confidence, but this makes you feel really good about yourself," she said.

Sue Dawson, from Holmfirth, was nominated by friends in the ladies' choir she sings in after being diagnosed in January. "Nobody knows what the outcome will be, but you have to be positive and in a way this makes you forget about the cancer.

"It gives you a real boost to know that people care enough to help you even though they've never met you before. It's given me the confidence to have my photo taken bald which I would never have done before."

Ulrike Grigoleit, a teacher trainer who lives in Baildon, near Bradford, was diagnosed with cancer last summer but said after all the hardships and hospital visits, the makeover was like an early Christmas present.

"When you go through chemo it's easy to feel down afterwards but something like this makes you feel normal again, I think a bit of pampering is good for the soul."

Caroline Mitchell, a screen writer for the TV soap Emmerdale, believes if you feel good about yourself it can make a big difference.

"It don't really like being the centre of attention and when I lost my hair I felt quite self-conscious about going out to meetings so I tended to work from home.

"But this is one of the first days since I was diagnosed that I don't feel like someone who's ill and it's allowed me to forget about the aches and pains and when I need to take the next tablet.",'white','pluginspage','http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/' ); //end AC code

Huddersfiels Examiner

Caroline’s Campaign, which helps women fighting breast cancer to look and feel beautiful, was started by a survivor of the disease who believes that boosting self esteem and confidence is an important part of the battle .  Huddersfield woman Sue Dawson was nominated by friends to join a Caroline’s Campaign make-over masterclass in Leeds.  She talked to Hilarie Stelfox

SUE DAWSON has always believed that family and friends were the most important things in her life.

But until she developed breast cancer she never fully realised just HOW important.

“They have been so loving and supporting.  It has given me confidence and courage,’’ says Sue, who is more than half way through treatment for an aggressive breast tumour.

As well as being there to help Sue through her surgery and subsequent chemotherapy, friends also nominated her for a Caroline’s Campaign make-over in Leeds.

It was, says Sue, “an experience that gives you a feeling of well-being; a feeling that you can look good even with cancer.  You might have lost your hair, your eyebrows, your eye lashes and, in some cases, you have lost your breast as well, but you can go on and feel positive about it.’’

Caroline’s Campaign was launched two years ago by former Yorkshire woman Caroline Monk, who was diagnosed with breast cancer back in 2004 at the age of just 34.

Having successfully fought the disease Caroline wanted to set up a charity that gave individual help to sufferers.  She travels to major cities, bringing together women currently fighting cancer, and organises top-to-toe make-overs.  Caroline finds wig makers and beauty therapists and arranges for everything from permanent make-up to replace lost eyebrows, to new outfits.

Sue, a former medical secretary, was nominated by two friends, Ann Marshall and Vivienne Howard.  Neither knew that the other had put Sue’s name forward.

But both were inspired by the way that Sue has faced breast cancer.

After the diagnosis in January this year, the 61-year-old had a mastectomy followed by chemotherapy.

Sue says that she had prepared herself for the worst when she and her husband Graham went to see the consultant to find out if she had cancer.  But Graham admits that the diagnosis “was like being hit around the head with a baseball bat.’’

The couple, who have a 31-year-old daughter and are now retired, are both members of St John’s Church, Upperthong, and say that their faith has helped to carry them through their ordeal.

Sue, a pastoral carer, is more used to caring for other people and admits that, at first, she found it difficult to accept that she needed help.

“People find it easier to give than to receive, but I have learned how to receive and it is a humbling experience.  I am much more aware now of the love and kindness of other people’’ she explained.

Sue has also had the support of members of the ladies choir Vocal Expressions, to which she belongs.

Her friend Vivienne, a fellow member, explained how she came to nominate Sue for a Caroline’s Campaign make-over: “Ten days after her mastectomy, Sue stood before us at rehearsal, thanked us for all our support, and told us that she would still be singing with us whenever possible.  She impressed us all greatly when she said she had no idea how she was going to look in the near future but that ‘inside this body I am the same person’ - the Sue we all know and love.  She has such guts and great faith.’’

When Sue began losing her own, blonde, hair she began wearing a short auburn wig and says that Graham liked it so much she has decided to remain auburn when her hair grows back.

She was given a second, longer wig, at her make-over and now alternates between the two.

Sue was so impressed by her experience with Caroline’s Campaign that she now wants to support the work of Caroline Monk.

Make-overs are, she says, a way for women undergoing breast cancer treatment to have a life-affirming experience.

“Life does go on and it is very precious, as I’m finding out. 

“Having breast cancer has given me inner strength and ways of coping with adversity.  I’ve also discovered my weaknesses.

“But the make-over was fantastic.  I can’t tell you how wonderful it felt and what a great day we had.’’

*  For details of Caroline’s Campaign and how you can support it, check out www.carolinescampaign.co.uk

News

Caroline Campaign Tattoos

Get your Rose Tattoo transfers online ! For just £6.00 inc p/p you get 3 great temporary transfer tattoos.

Buy them online via PayPal's secure online shop.

Monkey’s Business

Well what a busy bloody month this has been. 

Got some fab news…I had a meeting with a very famous hairdressing chain and they really want to come on board...

Read more