Being a cancer patient in modern day America is very dehumanizing for most people. Spending time in a hospital after surgery and having chemotherapy are cold, scary and unnerving experiences. Although many hospitals have integrative cancer medicine programs, spending more time at a hospital is very bad for the patient’s spirit, even for a massage or acupuncture, and the visit becomes yet another cancer hospital experience.

I believe in treating the whole patient, which includes the mind, body and most importantly, spirit. Based on my own and others experiences as patients, I know it is vital to recovery to stick normal, calming routines. However, that is often impossible for patients who can’t be exposed to various chemicals, have no immune system or are dealing with many of the other numerous health complications that accompany cancer. The combination of being so sick and not able to stick to a normal, carefree lifestyle breaks the spirit of many patients, cancer or otherwise.

It is my dream to open an organic beauty salon, where everything from the make-up to the hair coloring is as natural and organic as possible. There are “…more than 100,000 chemicals and formula combinations on the consumer market and less than 5% evaluated for cancer-causing potential…”*. When a man or woman with cancer or who is a cancer survivor decides to go to a salon or spa for a day of beauty and relaxation, they should not have to worry about the chemicals used during their treatments. They have a right to be completely relaxed and reassured that the products used will not cause them further harm. A woman who has had her breasts removed or has lost her reproductive system, a woman who is bald, a man who is dying, should all have a place to go where they can be pampered and feel human. Unfortunately it is not a cure for disease or a guaranteed therapy for the trauma, but it is the first step to being human again.

*James Huff, Ph.D., National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences,
Time Magazine, 9/29/2008.

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