Look Good...Feel Better Announces 'Women of Hope is Beautiful' Honorees

/PRNewswire/ -- Look Good...Feel Better, a national public service program that helps women cope with the appearance-related side effects of cancer treatment, proudly announces the honorees from its Women of Hope is Beautiful campaign, a nationwide search to identify five women who embody the core values of the Look Good...Feel Better program -- courage, confidence, control, community and caring -- and inspire others with their spirit.

The five Women of Hope is Beautiful will be honored at the DreamBall, an annual black-tie charity gala at the Waldorf=Astoria, held on September 24, that supports the Look Good...Feel Better program and celebrates its 20th anniversary. The women will also receive complementary makeovers with hairstyling by Anthony Barrow, Avon Global Stylist and Advisor, and makeup application by Ida Abruzzi.

"We received so many compelling stories of strength and determination, and it was very challenging to select just five women," says Louanne Roark, executive director, Personal Care Products Council Foundation and the Look Good...Feel Better program. "These women have all experienced the tremendous impact a Look Good...Feel Better session can have on a woman's emotional and physical wellbeing, and they each serve as an inspiration to other women undergoing cancer treatment." The five finalists were chosen from more than 150 submissions to the Look Good...Feel Better blog at www.lookgoodfeelbetter.org.

The Women of Hope is Beautiful hail from all across the country - from Washington state to South Carolina to New York. They are mothers and wives, sisters and daughters, and while they each fought an individual battle against cancer, they have all benefited from attending a Look Good...Feel Better session, and are connected by their positive outlook and remarkable determination in the face of this disease. The honorees include:

Lesley Bonner, who began her battle against Hodgkin's Lymphoma this year, the same week as her 39th birthday. She attended a Look Good...Feel Better session to learn how to deal with her new wigs and head scarves, and makeup application tips. "The best part of the workshop was getting to meet so many beautiful women, all dealing with many of the same issues as myself. I am not alone; I am not different," she says.

Andrea Brown Buford, 52, who was diagnosed with breast cancer last year and attended a Look Good...Feel Better session. "When I did lose my hair, that first day as I prepared to step out into the world among people that knew me with a head full of hair, I took the time to apply what I had learned on my face, but also, that which I had experienced was in my heart," says Andrea. "I stepped out knowing I walked in pure radiance."

Vicki Everhart, 59, a typically strong and independent woman whose breast cancer diagnosis left her frightened and reeling with uncertainty. Vicki calls her Look Good...Feel Better session a "turning point" in her cancer treatment. As she says, "I was so tired and drained from treatments and really only wanted to curl up in a corner...When I left, I felt like I had gotten a new lease on life, and felt pretty for the first time in months!"

Aarika Johnson, who was diagnosed with breast cancer this year on her 25th birthday. As a cosmetology student, Aarika wondered who would want to get their hair cut by the "bald chic." The Look Good...Feel Better workshop was a turning point: "Someday, I was going to have a woman in my chair getting her last haircut before her treatment begins, and maybe I will be of some comfort to her that she will get through the obstacles ahead."

Michele VonGerichten, 46, who is a breast cancer survivor. Michele made the decision to get chemotherapy as an aggressive, preventive measure and immediately made the decision to enroll in a Look Good...Feel Better session. She attended the class excited that it was "something just for us women to help build our self-esteem." She says that she felt a kindred spirit with the other women in the session, and "returned home feeling like I could stay beautiful, and that I was not alone!"

The Women of Hope is Beautiful will be introduced on stage at the DreamBall by Hoda Kotb, co-anchor of the Today show and a breast cancer survivor. Kotb is being honored as this year's "DreamGirl" for her courage in openly sharing her cancer treatment and recovery with millions of viewers on the Today show.

"Hoda and the Women of Hope is Beautiful are such an inspiration - they have shared their remarkable journey with cancer diagnosis, treatment and recovery to encourage and inspire others," says Roark. "We are thrilled to celebrate them at this year's DreamBall as their stories are representative of all the women who have gone through the Look Good...Feel Better program over the past 20 years."

Since 1989, Look Good...Feel Better has helped 650,000 women with cancer look good, improve their self-esteem and thereby manage their cancer treatment and recovery with greater confidence through free workshops, practical tips and guidance. Look Good...Feel Better is a collaboration between the Personal Care Products Council Foundation, the American Cancer Society and the National Cosmetology Association.

The DreamBall is jointly sponsored by the Personal Care Products Council Foundation and the American Cancer Society, bringing together nearly 700 executives in the cosmetic industry for the largest Look Good...Feel Better fundraiser of the year.

Look Good...Feel Better is a collaboration between the Personal Care Products Council Foundation, the American Cancer Society, one of the nation's largest voluntary health organizations, and the National Cosmetology Association, a national organization of more than 25,000 hairstylists, wig experts, estheticians, makeup artists and nail technicians. Visit www.lookgoodfeelbetter.org or call 1-800-395-LOOK to learn more about the program, to find a program in your area, or for information on how to volunteer.

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