ABOVE: A free kit, as well as some wigs and bangs to test out, that will be available to participants of the Look Good Feel Better workshops that will be held at the Lutz Cancer Center at Mayo Clinic Health System in Fairmont.

FAIRMONT– With a grant from the Fairmont Community Hospital Foundation, the Lutz Cancer Center at Mayo Clinic in Fairmont is bringing back the Look Good Feel Better workshops for women with cancer. The first free workshop will be this Monday, Jan. 12.

Brenda Jones, a long-time infusion/chemotherapy nurse at Mayo in Fairmont, said that they previously offered the workshops but that they ended about six years ago when the Covid-19 pandemic first hit.

Jones said there was an interest in bringing them back due to the success of the program several years ago. The grant received was $4,500 for the year, which will allow for 12 workshops.

“The participants are all going to get a sealed kit,” Jones said. “In the past they’ve been a $200 to $300 value of skincare products and makeup.”

Because the kits contain makeup in different shades for different skin tones, registration is required and can be completed online at lookgoodfeelbetter.org. The website also offers some online beauty tutorials.

In addition to the kit, Jones said the workshops are kind of like an in-person makeover as skin and nail care and makeup application will be discussed.

“It’s for the spirit, too, because we like to talk about uplifting things and try to help patients adjust to some of those physical changes that they’ve had during their cancer journey,” Jones explained.

To run the program, Jones said they also need a volunteer licensed cosmetologist who is trained in skin care, hair care and nail care and for these workshops that is Lakyn Sathoff of Hair Etc. Sathoff also runs a non-profit, Lakyn’s Care, which provides wigs for people who have lost their hair from chemotherapy or an illness.

Jones said that in the workshop there will be some wigs to try on, as well as some clip-on bangs that can be worn under a hat.

“There’s a way to tie a T-shirt to cover your head,” she said. “There’s some scarves so people can work on tying those around their head if they’ve lost their hair.”

While Jones said she knows of men going through chemotherapy who are also reluctant to lose their hair, these workshops are geared toward women because of the emphasis on skin care and makeup.

“It’s more of a spa night and uplifting night for the ladies who attend and they might feel intimidated if there was a man,” Jones said.

She added that the workshops are only for the patients, and that they’re not supposed to bring anyone with them, due to both confidentiality and the room size.

While the Lutz Cancer Center at Mayo in Fairmont does offer a cancer support group, Jones said these workshops serve as another way to offer and provide support to each other.

“They can learn about changes in hair texture and skin care. Some of them are going to be on the journey that they’ve already finished their treatment, others will be just starting and some will be in the midst of it so they will be able to share tips, stories, hints and things to help each other. That’s what I remember from before. There was so much camaraderie and support in the class,” Jones said.

Right now, Jones and Sathoff are the only ones who have gone through the Look Good Feel Better training but there are others interested who will go through it so that they can help out at future workshops.

As of now, the workshops will be held at the Lutz Cancer Center from 5 to 7 p.m. on the second Monday of every month. Jones is hoping for 10 people per workshop and she believes they will get that many once word of the workshops gets out there.

The Lutz Cancer Center in Fairmont treats patients in a wide age range from people in their 20s up to their 90s. They also come from all over the region as well as from northern Iowa. Jones said some Mankato patients come to Fairmont for cold cap therapy and that they may come to these workshops, too.

Jones said she has talked to the Foundation about the possibility of providing the workshops again next year if there’s interest.

“I know it’s a valuable program and helps uplift. We laugh. Sometimes we have tears. There’s nothing worse than looking in the mirror, with no hair and some people lose their eyebrows, and feeling devastated. It offers different tips to help people feel better about themselves,” Jones said.