Over the past couple of weeks I have had the good fortune to do some travelling. First, a work-related trip to the west coast to meet one of our wonderful facingcancer.ca bloggers, Terri, and to meet with and recognize our oh-so dedicated Look Good Feel Better expert volunteers in Victoria and Vancouver; and then it was onto an adventure that took me to Kenya, India and Thailand where I got to spend some time with my delightful goddaughter, Ocea, who is 11 years old.
After spending time with Ocea, who gave me some insights to the pre-teen world, I am amazed at how different life is for girls who are growing up today. The internet, social media, TV and music open the world to girls in a way that just wasn’t possible when I was her age. And while there are some negatives to this, I also believe it is making the next generation of women worldly and more aware than in previous generations. More young people are fundraising and volunteering for causes close to their hearts, and advocacy groups are teaching young girls ways to help other little girls in developing countries. For Ocea and her peers, the world is definitely a much smaller place than when I was a girl.
At the CCTFA Foundation, we were recently touched by a young girl who, at the age of 10, is already working to make a difference for others. Several months back, a letter arrived at our offices, addressed to the Look Good Feel Better program. There was no return address on the envelope and inside we found a sealed plastic bag full of hair and a handwritten note that said, simply:
We have no way of knowing who Tamara is, or how her life was touched by cancer. But we do know that her compassionate gesture of kindness touched all of us at the Foundation. I could hardly wait to share Tamara’s story with our friends and long-time supporters at Jon Renau, who supply wigs for our Look Good Feel Better workshops. They, too, were inspired by the caring act of goodwill demonstrated by this special young girl. In Tamara’s honour, Jon Reneau launched a new line of wigs in May called, of course, “Tamara”. The Tamara wig has a Smartlace cap, which provides the most natural-looking hairline and is available at boutiques across Canada. (Visit our site for availability and information.) For each wig sold, Jon Renau is making a generous donation to Look Good Feel Better to help realize Tamara’s wish of helping women face cancer with confidence.
Tamara’s act of kindness is helping more women than she could have possibly imagined when she mailed us her ponytail. If you would like to help ‘pay it forward’, you can make a financial contribution in Tamara’s name.
In closing, on behalf of all of us at the Foundation, Tamara, you’ve inspired us and for that, we thank you. You are making a huge difference in helping women faced with the appearance-related challenges of cancer treatment look and feel more like themselves again. As the formidable Beyoncé says, girls run the world.