EBeauty - the beauty of giving by L. A. Keller

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I'm being selfish, or maybe it's nepotism, but I couldn't discuss amazing charities without including EBeauty. This non-profit was established by my sister-in-law Carolyn Callahan Keller when my younger sister Laura was diagnosed with breast cancer.  Carolyn and I are both survivors and when my brother, Mark and Carolyn asked what they could to to help Laura I told them she needed a wig.  

The day my oncologist told me I had to undergo chemotherapy I got pulled over for a speeding ticket. I was speeding and deserved the ticket but the poor officer didn't expect me to burst into uncontrollable sobs.  Cancer is scary - you are battling for your life and then you add chemotherapy into the mix and everything gets worse.  Do the chemo and know that it is killing all of the cells in your body, or take the risk that you will survive without it.

I knew I would lose my hair and it bothered me.  Of course, initially it's the vanity. I didn't want to lose my long curly locks but I wanted to live longer.  So I cut my hair short and then, when it started coming out in clumps, I had it shaved.  I cannot find the words to describe how it made me feel to look in the mirror and see a sick woman - someone who was doing everything to kill the cancer but looked like I wasn't going to succeed.  

I was fortunate that my insurance paid for wigs. I never left my house without a wig. It was hot and scratchy and miserable but people didn't know I was fighting cancer. I didn't want people to look at me and feel sorry for me.  I didn't want to talk about my cancer - it was a personal war I fought mostly alone. Ultimately having a wig wasn't about vanity at all. It was about me believing that I would get better. That is what EBeauty provides - a way for a woman who can't afford a wig, or whose insurance won't cover a wig, to feel healthy.  A way for someone to see the light at the end of the journey and believe she will make it.

EBeauty's mission statement is:

"EBeauty’s mission is to enhance and strengthen the education, charitable and community support network for women undergoing cancer treatments. EBeauty works to improve the quality of life of women undergoing chemotherapy treatments through the implementation of its Wig Exchange Program and Hospital Partnership Program. Our primary goal is to provide all women, regardless of economic status or geographic location, access to wigs."

In the year's since EBeauty was started, the organization has provided wigs to thousands of women all over the United States. This year Carolyn was nominated for L'Oreal's Women of Worth as a woman who has gone above and beyond to empower others. Only ten women a year are nominated for this great honor.

Wigs are donated and professionally cleaned and styled. Anyone in need can request a wig on EBeauty’s website. If you would like to make a donation or contribute a wig, please go to the website.



Happy Trails,

Leslie


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