Best Friends
My name is Saundra Shapiro and I created Compassionate Beauty, a unique centre designed for women undergoing cancer treatment. The idea for such a facility had its spark in 1996, when I was the owner-operator of Beaners Fun Cut for Kids. While working at Beaners I became close to many of my clients. One in particular, Giah entered Beaners and announced that her ovarian cancer was back. Once again she would be enduring the physically and emotionally devastating world of cancer treatment. Giah had come to Beaners to have me shave her head; this demoralizing process was less painful for her if she had a friend help her through it.
That Sunday we closed the store, dimmed the lights, put soft music on, and I lovingly shaved her head. As I was doing so, I wondered what her choices were? Where else could she have gone? How must it feel to sit in a mall salon or a barber shop, with absolutely no privacy, and suffer through the indignity of having her head shaved? Some women must do the best they can in the privacy of their own bathrooms, but they won't likely have sterile equipment. So in search of a little privacy and in an attempt to maintain some dignity, they are compromising their already fragile immune systems.
I knew at this moment that I wanted to do more for women afflicted with cancer, and in the years that followed I continued raising my daughter and returned to Queens School of Business. In 2002 I became a volunteer for the Look Good Feel Better Program; a national public-service program dedicated to helping women going through cancer treatment funded by the Canadian Cosmetics ,Toiletries and Fragrance Association. I also became a member of the Board of Directors for the Canadian Cancer Society, Alberta Northwest Territories Division. Then my entire world was rocked to its very core. Louise, my childhood best friend, was diagnosed with recurrent cervical cancer. Surgery and chemo were both part of her protocol. When she called from Kelowna, BC crying while telling me that her hair was falling out, I immediately grabbed a wig and my clippers and was on the highway. Hours slowly passed as I drove, and I was lost in my thoughts. It turned out to be a life altering drive through those miles in the mountains - I got serious about making Compassionate Beauty happen.
Together, Louise and I spent that year, during her treatment, thinking of all the things women would want to have at Compassionate Beauty. One day in particular Louise just wanted a facial, but she wasn't comfortable taking off her wig and laying on the esthetics bed. She wanted to feel safe and accepted and have a sense of belonging, instead of standing out because of her visible effects of chemotherapy. Louise was also true believer in massage, of the healing touch, and of the need for intimate, personal connections. We talked for hours about services, privacy, nurturing and dignity.
It is with profound sadness that I tell you that Louise lost her battle with cancer on September 21, 2004. I know and truly believe that she is with me everyday, helping, guiding, and loving our dream, Compassionate Beauty Ltd.
Together forever, never apart. Maybe in distance, but never in heart.
On May 2, 2005, in honor of my oldest and best friend Louise, Compassionate Beauty opened its doors, it was also Louise's birthday.