Innovative Program Empowers Women Cancer Survivors to Rediscover Their Inner and Outer Beauty

Tapping sources of inspiration and support, maintaining the activities
of their daily life, and taking pride in their appearance can all help
provide cancer survivors with a essential sense of normalcy and self-worth.

Beverly Kirkhart thought her life was over when her doctor delivered the
news: "You have breast cancer." The diagnosis came after a painful
divorce and the loss of her business, leaving her feeling as though she
had hit rock-bottom. Between her personal setbacks and the debilitating
effects of the disease and treatment, Kirkhart's self-esteem was shattered.

"One day, I looked in the mirror and thought, 'Who would love this?'"
said Kirkhart. "I felt like a victim, unattractive and unloved,
insignificant to myself and others."

Many cancer survivors feel they will never be the same. They cope daily
with emotions like fear and anger, as well as body changes such as loss
of a breast, change in skin color due to radiation, treatment-related
hair loss and weight change. Tapping sources of inspiration and support,
maintaining the activities of their daily life, and taking pride in
their appearance can all help provide cancer survivors with an essential
sense of normalcy and self-worth.

Kirkhart found renewed hope and self-confidence through journaling her
experiences and feelings, which also helped her identify other
strategies for sustaining a positive outlook and recognizing her inner
beauty. Kirkhart is now sharing her inspirational message and practical
advice with women across the country as co-creator of a new program
designed to help breast cancer survivors reclaim their physical
confidence and emotional well-being.

Along her journey, Kirkhart connected with Lisa Cole, a nationally
recognized lingerie fitter and mastectomy form expert who presents
lingerie fashion seminars throughout the United States; together, they
created Mirror, Mirror On the Wall, How Do I Feel Underneath it
All?™. The program is the first of its kind to include fashion
advice combined with wellness and self-empowerment strategies to help
cancer survivors rediscover their beauty from the inside out.

"Our program aims to help women rebuild their self-confidence, whether
it's by choosing the right lingerie, keeping a journal of their
experiences or working with their health care team to lessen the burden
of treatment," said Cole.

Another critical element of the Mirror, Mirror program is the wellness
discussion given by oncology nurse practitioner Jody Pelusi, PhD, FNP,
AOCN, Arizona Oncology Associates, Sedona, Arizona, who provides
strategies to help maintain not only physical but overall well-being
while undergoing cancer treatment.

"My patients are often devastated by how they look and feel as a result
of their cancer and its treatment, and I often counsel them on how to
maintain a positive outlook and body image," said Pelusi. "For some of
my patients, different treatment approaches, like oral chemotherapy, can
have a positive impact by offering greater convenience and fewer severe
side effects than intravenous therapy."