National cancer program visits Leongatha

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National cancer program visits Leongatha

A NATIONAL program set up to improve the confidence and wellbeing of those living with cancer visited the Leongatha Hospital on Friday.
An initiative of the Cancer Patients Foundation, the Look Good, Feel Better program aims to teach individuals how to overcome the appearance related side effects that can be caused as a result of cancer treatment.
Participants were given tips on how to properly maintain their skin and hair, while also receiving a kit full of cosmetic products.
The program is also designed to allow for participants to meet people going through a similar situation, and create support networks that can be sustained well after the session is over.
“The program is a great opportunity for them to feel better about themselves,” Suzanne Tucker, who works at the Leongatha Hospital, said.
“When undergoing chemotherapy your hair can fall out, you can get skin irritations, so it’s important that they can address those things and be more confident.”
More than 130,000 people all across Australia have joined in on a Look Good, Feel Better session, with around 1000 workshops being run throughout the country annually.
“At the moment we run the women’s workshop but the program also addresses the same issues for men and teenagers. The people that are involved in running the sessions are volunteers who just get together to help. We have the program here once a year, but it’s also done all throughout the Gippsland area. Foster has a workshop once a year,” Ms Tucker said.
Ms Tucker said while it’s clear the program assists participants in being more confident, the friendships made throughout a session are just as important.
“The women arrive here not knowing one another but they have one thing in common. For them to be able to share their stories or talk about others things is important. It’s really a fantastic program,” she said.

Looking a million bucks: from left, Janice Collins, Heather Anthony, Ian Turnridge, Valma Kane and Catherine O ‘Connor at the Look Good, Feel Better session at Leongatha Hospital on Friday.

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Posted by on Aug 28 2018. Filed under Community. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

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