Kerry

Having lived in Canberra for over 45 years with my husband Ian, our two children and nine grandchildren, Ian and I decided to have a tree change five years ago and moved from suburbia to a small farm, 32 kilometers from Canberra. We have embraced our country life and love it.

Ian and I have owned our own businesses for many years and, having always been the ‘office lady’, I decided I needed a change and took a role as a cosmetic consultant on a beauty counter in Canberra. I’d always been a make-up person and it was a job I really loved – meeting new people and making life-long friends, learning about make-up and how to apply it.

In 1994, the Look Good Feel Better program launched in the ACT. My brother was going through a cancer journey at that time and I thought ‘this is something I can do – to give back and help cancer patients’. 24 years later I am still volunteering, covering both Canberra venues as facilitator and headwear demonstrator.

Over the time I have been a Look Good Feel Better volunteer I have seen so many brave, courageous, wonderful women go through our workshops and meeting them all has been a privilege. Being able to give women going through a traumatic time in their lives the empowerment to face cancer with confidence always brings joy.

So many women come to workshops very unsure about what to expect. I love to see the changes taking place; the quiet lady suddenly laughing and chatting to the lady sitting next to her. The lady who never wears make-up seeing the transformation it can result in, and loving it. The lady who was never going to wear a wig, wanting to know where she can buy one. These wonderful women always give me that warm fuzzy feeling.

I would certainly encourage others to volunteer with Look Good Feel Better if they are able to. Yes, it is a commitment but it is a wonderful opportunity to help others, it will also lift your own confidence, and the rewards are enormous.