Feelgood factor that can help women cope with cancer treatment

Caroline Monk was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004 and was devastated at losing her hair, eyebrows and eyelashes, describing herself as looking like a “bald alien” and feeling unfeminine and depressed.

“Losing your hair is about so much more than personal vanity,” she says. “It is about how people perceive and treat you. When I was ill, there were days I felt so low because I looked so hideous that I would have jumped at the chance of being given a make-over.”

She started her charity in 2007 following an overwhelming response to a column she had written in a women’s magazine. “I was inundated with letters and emails from cancer sufferers not worrying about dying but about how they looked,” she says.

Caroline decided to come to the aid of women whose looks and self-confidence had been damaged by chemotherapy. Caroline’s Campaign travels the country giving nominated women a much-needed make-over. To date it has helped those undergoing cancer treatment in London, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Sunderland and Liverpool, where the chosen women have all experienced a confidence-boosting make-over, given designer wigs, which are then styled by a creative team at Toni & Guy. They also have manicures, make-up sessions and eyebrow tattooing.

“Every women without exception who goes through chemotherapy needs help and advice on wigs, make-up and diet,” she says. “A well-cut wig can make such a difference. Having eyelashes and eyebrows transforms you from looking ill to looking normal. I believe all these things aid recovery.

“Helping people with cancer is not just about finding cures and funding research – it is about caring for the people who go through it.”

Caroline’s Campaign is at Toni & Guy in Leeds on March 21. For more information, go to: www.carolinescampaign.co.uk.