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When Kim Bourdages of DeKalb was diagnosed with breast cancer last year, she was concerned about losing her hair during chemotherapy, so she went to Patty Pumfrey at Unique Concepts Salon for help in choosing a wig.
That's when Pumfrey told Bourdages about a program to help women with cancer deal with the visible effects of the disease.
"At first, I was like a dog going to the vet," Bourdages recalled with a laugh. She was skeptical, but reluctantly agreed to attend a session of "Look Good ... Feel Better," a national program sponsored in part by the American Cancer Society.
"I called a girlfriend who had already had breast cancer, but had never gone to a 'Look Good ... Feel Better' program," Bourdages said. "We had a great time."
"Look Good ... Feel Better" was developed in 1989 to improve the outlook and self-esteem of women with cancer. Unique Concepts has participated in the free program since opening in 2003.
"Cancer is such a mental game," Pumfrey said. "You have to have a positive attitude." Pumfrey's own involvement came after losing her mother to cancer, then watching a friend battle a similar ordeal.
"I'd notice little things in posture and personality," she said. "They needed a little TLC and they weren't getting it."
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