New Zealand charity Look Good Feel Better helps people face cancer with confidence 

Created for Look Good Feel Better

Every 22 minutes in New Zealand someone will be told “you have cancer” with more than 26,000 people diagnosed a year

Navigating cancer is as daunting emotionally and mentally as it is to physically deal with prognosis, treatment and “thrival”. This is why Look Good Feel Better provides a wellbeing programme of free sessions for anyone with any cancer at any stage of treatment. This includes the signature skincare and make-up class, online sessions such as chair yoga, gentle Pilates and mindfulness, as well as on-demand refresher videos, expert Q&As and podcasts.

“The programme focuses on skin, hair, mind and body – providing feel-better moments, and tools and tips to help people face cancer with confidence,” says Look Good Feel Better general manager Clare O’Higgins. “They are an opportunity to do something practical and to connect with others experiencing something similar, and away from the world of cancer diagnosis and treatment.”

All the sessions are free and participants are welcome to bring a friend or family member to community sessions or to sit in on a virtual programme. You can attend as many sessions as you like and you do not need to have lost your hair.

SIGNATURE SKINCARE AND MAKE-UP CLASSES
Skincare and make-up classes are held in more than 40 community centres across Aotearoa New Zealand to help manage the impact of cancer treatment. Two-hour sessions include easy-to-follow skincare and suncare tips, make-up techniques and hygiene advice. Participants receive a Feel Better Confidence Kit of donated skincare and cosmetics.

ONLINE CLASSES
This schedule of virtual video sessions are held via a Zoom link – with a programme of weekly, monthly and bi-monthly classes for skin, hair, body and mind that you can join from the comfort and privacy of your home. They include an online one-hour version of the skincare and make-up class, along with gentle exercise mat Pilates every Thursday. Once a month on a Friday there is a virtual mindfulness class with tips and strategies to help calm your day. And chair yoga is held every Monday, to guide you through gentle movement.

ON-DEMAND VIDEOS
Look Good Feel Better’s on-demand series is a library of short videos and podcasts that are available at any time. They cover a range of classes, including wellbeing and skincare and make-up topics such as how to find calm through breathing, how to look after your skin during treatment, how to deal with neuropathy, how to care for your wig and how to tie a scarf hat.

PODCASTS
Cancer Conversations is the podcast series you hoped you would never need. Journalist and cancer survivor Helen King chats with patients about their experiences, and with experts for insights on navigating cancer from diagnosis to post-treatment. They include coping with cancer emotions, navigating life and work post-cancer, the power of communication, and personal styling to give you confidence.

EXPERT Q&A SESSIONS
Packed with useful advice and real-life experiences, these monthly online Q&A sessions provide insights and expertise from a wide range of people and may include healthcare workers, professionals whose life experience applies to a person with cancer, or to their loved ones. They provide empowerment and confidence to those navigating cancer.

For more information or to book one of Look Good Feel Better’s free services, visit lgfb.co.nz. Look Good Feel Better relies on donations as it does not receive government funding. 

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