Having Cancer Was Lonely, but LGFB Helped Me Feel Connected 

April 13, 2026

Getting cancer made me feel really alone in some ways. Like, no one else around me was losing their hair or going bald. Being bald made – still makes – me feel insanely unique. I didn’t know anyone my age going through cancer. I celebrated my 19th birthday at home, recovering from a tough round of chemo, while my friends headed out to bars to party and toast their 19ths. Having cancer was a lonely experience.

It was also such a shock. My entire family describes the day I got diagnosed with lymphoma as the most shocking day of our lives. Before, I was such a regular 18-year-old. I felt and seemed healthy. I went to the gym all the time – I was really into bodybuilding. I was in school studying hairdressing. I had a boyfriend. I had a part-time job. Like, so typical. I went from thinking my life was fine one day to being in the hospital the next. Getting chemo, losing my hair – it was all happening before I could register the shock.

My family has been so supportive through everything. I live with my parents and my two brothers, along with two bunnies and a dog. They’ve all been so great. My friends and cousin have also been so supportive. But no one really fully got what I was going through.

Going to a Look Good Feel Better (LGFB) workshop was one of the most helpful things for getting me to feel less lonely. I was nervous to go, but I’m so glad I did. My mom came with me. It was genuinely such a nice night out. Everyone was super nice and we all had some good laughs, like when no one knew I was wearing a wig and I just whipped it off. I was going through a hard time, and a lot of things sucked. Getting to go to a girls’ night, receiving free makeup, and having people help me was so awesome.

And the makeup was super fun. I’ve finished my treatment now, but I still don’t have my hair. Putting on both my wig and makeup helped me to feel prettier, and a bit more like myself. I don’t think I would’ve started wearing makeup if I hadn’t gone to the LGFB workshop. I like being able to put on my wig and makeup and to go out and feel OK. I was so scared to lose my hair, but it ended up being totally fine. I’m having fun with it and if anything, I feel more confident now because I have long, blonde, thick hair and when I go out, nobody really knows that it’s not mine. It’s true: when you look good, you do feel better. 

Getting diagnosed so young has definitely been scary. I wonder, is this going to affect me for a long time? I’m sure it will, right? I think about the checkups I’ll need, the precautions I’ll have to take, the things I’ll have to consider.

But it’s also given me a different perspective on things. I’m really grateful for the simple things now. Going to a restaurant with friends, or for coffee, or to the movies, or for a walk – these moments are so special now. If there are little things that you enjoy, just do them, you know?