BY JOSE PAOLO S. DELA CRUZ
It was a beautiful day for dozens of cancer survivors from all walks of life as they were glammed up for “Lavender Ring: Makeup & Photos with Smiles,” Shiseido’s regional initiative that aims to capture stories of hope, courage and healing. The photos were then put on display at the Lavender Ring website, in time for World Cancer Day 2024.
The result was a picture-perfect day, to say the least; a scene straight out of a magazine shoot — one filled with ring lights, makeup stations and the palpable buzz that usually comes with it. In place of models though, it was cancer survivors who posed in front of the cameras. And that made every photo all the more beautiful.
The project received a warm welcome from organizations such as I Want to Share (IWTS) Foundation, EPCALM Adult Leukemia Foundation, Kanser sa Adolescents and Young Adults (KAYA) Community, Kasuso Foundation, and I Can Serve Foundation, whose beneficiaries and leaders flocked in droves to Shangri-La at The Fort in BGC for the one-day affair.
Stories of hope
A diverse group of around 60 beneficiaries ranging from 15 to 69 years old signed up for the event. They were joined by some Lavender Ring Ambassadors, who themselves are influential personalities who have survived cancer. Among them were IWTS founder and chairman Sheila Romero, and chemist and Progressive Laboratories CEO and Founder Pinky Tobiano.
Sheila tells PeopleAsia that beneficiaries from IWTS, including pediatric cancer patients and survivors, immediately signed up when they cascaded news about the Lavender Project. “It’s good for morale, especially for the kids, a lot of them spend so much time in hospitals, talking to doctors and recuperating from treatments,” says Sheila, whose foundation also hosted a charity ball last September, wherein pediatric cancer patients walked down the runway in designer clothes.
Makeovers aside, Sheila also mentions the importance of closing the “care gap,” which is why IWTS has also launched an effort to help guide patients and their families when it comes to pursuing the right course of treatment. “Normally, kids who have cancer and their parents would just line up at the PGH. Some of them are not aware that there are certain facilities in their locale that can already help them do an initial screening.”
Proving that there could, indeed, be a beautiful life after cancer, Pinky adds that these kinds of activities, boost the spirits of cancer patients. “It’s important to see that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. To see other survivors and know that there is hope… that you are not alone in this life,” says Pinky, who battled cancer alongside her mother, who, too, was diagnosed with the disease at around the same time.
Pinky also cites the importance of having a solid support group, such as I can Serve Foundation, whose members “touched base, prayed with me, and made me smile throughout the journey. These things are really important when you are going through such a difficult time,” she says.
Even a number of male survivors also posed for the cameras. Among them was Jay Alinsunurin, a thirty-something who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer a few years back. “When the doctor told me that I may only have six months to live, I didn’t cry, because I had just lost both my parents. In my mind, ‘wow, I was going to meet them again,” he tells us. However, knowing that his siblings would want him to fight inspired Jay to pursue treatment.
On the day of this interview, a glowing Jay, armed with the love and support he had received from family, friends and the team of medical professionals who had worked with him, asked patients to “Slay!” even while battling the deadly disease. “I love the spotlight, I admit, but what I also like is being able to share my story to say that there is always hope, so have courage and if you can, try to have a positive attitude,” he adds.
Serving as the survivors’ fairy godmothers, so to speak, are Shiseido beauty consultants and hairstylists, who were joined by Filipino celebrity makeup artists Mark Qua, Gela Laurel, Iowani Ungpingco and Muriel Vega Perez; as well as celebrity hairstylists Lourd Ramos, Dale Mallari, Jeck Aguilar and Justine Ocampo. The sessions incorporated Shiseido Life Quality Makeup’s Perfect Cover range, which is specially designed to address changes in a person’s appearance from cancer treatments.
“We were very touched with how many makeup artists and hair stylists, both from within and outside our company, volunteered for the cause,” says Shiseido Philippines managing director Michael Goh. “And it’s the same with the participants, a good number of whom are in their teens. They were all in high spirits, laughing and posing and having a good time.”
As they say, some pictures paint a thousand words. These pictures, on the other hand, paint something more meaningful. “Many times, CSR [corporare social responsibility] is equated to monetary support. But seeing everyone’s smiles today, we are reminded that it’s also about making a person feel better at the end of the day,” ends JC Pastor, brand manager of Shiseido in the Philippines.
To see more photos and stories of hope and courage, click here.
