More than makeup: Hot Cares helps cancer patients feel like themselves again

For a woman undergoing cancer treatment, recognising herself in the mirror can mean more than anyone watching might realise. Hair loss, changes to her skin and the loss of eyelashes can affect her confidence at a time when life already feels overwhelming.

That is where Look Good Feel Better steps in, offering free workshops that help cancer patients manage the visible effects of treatment while finding encouragement, connection and a renewed sense of self.

Speaking on HOT 102.7 Breakfast, director Yvette Rheeder explained how her career as a professional makeup artist led her to seek a deeper purpose for her skills. She began volunteering with the organisation and now helps bring its work to patients across 53 hospital and oncology venues.

During the two-hour workshops, trained volunteers guide participants through skincare and makeup techniques. Around the table, women also meet others who understand what they are experiencing, creating space for conversation, laughter and reassurance.

For Rheeder, the most powerful moment comes when a woman looks in the mirror and recognises herself again.

Reverend Shona shared her own experience of getting dressed and applying makeup after surgery, explaining that the effort helped her feel better during a difficult recovery.

To support this work, Hot Cares is donating 25 boxes of cosmetics and R5,000 worth of workshop essentials, including wet wipes, tissues and cotton wool.

Thanks to a generous doctor who listens to HOT 102.7FM, 10 mammograms will also be sponsored, helping women access important breast screening.

A weekend getaway, donated as a prize for the organisation’s golf day, will help raise funds to keep the workshops available free of charge.

Together, these contributions will support women during treatment, help sustain the workshops and provide moments of comfort and confidence when patients need them most — with the reassurance that they are not alone.