How a new South Florida cancer salon helps people heal and get ‘back to their lives’
Victoria Trujillo-Cortellese lost her waist-long, salt-and-pepper hair to six rounds of chemotherapy for breast cancer.
The Broward teacher relates “a lot with superheroes and heroines,” but found herself gravitating “toward Frankenstein’s bride” during her breast cancer journey. “I just felt rebuilt,” she said.
Like many cancer patients, the 52-year-old Hollywood mom found support through family, including her cat Loki (named after the brother and nemesis of the superhero Thor), who was her meditation partner.
Now, Trujillo-Cortellese has a new support system: a just-opened spa-like cancer salon from Memorial Health in South Broward, a place to get hair done, buy accessories, or just get some pampered me time.
The Center for Mind, Body & Spirit, next to Pembroke Lakes Mall, is dedicated to pampering cancer patients with massages, mani-pedis and other services on the first floor of the recently opened Memorial Cancer Institute at Memorial Hospital West, 12235 Pines Blvd.
The center also offers wig and breast prosthetic fittings, post-mastectomy bras, and beauty and skin care products that can help maintain brows and lashes, and soothe skin irritated by radiation therapy.
The goal is to help cancer patients feel confident in their skin during and after treatment, said manager Lori Kidd.
Cancer treatments and procedures, like chemotherapy and mastectomies, can be grueling on the body. Besides fatigue and pain, patients can also experience stress, anxiety and depression as they see their body undergo changes, including hair loss and problems with their skin and nails.
While Memorial has offered prosthetic fittings and other services to cancer patients since 2009, the spa-like center will help make services more accessible, Kidd said.
On Wednesday, to celebrate the center’s grand opening, the Memorial Foundation, which is the public hospital system’s nonprofit arm, partnered with the Estee Lauder Companies to offer free makeovers to breast cancer patients.
For cancer survivors Trujillo-Cortellese and Carolyn Lewis, 52, of Miramar, the center’s grand opening was an opportunity to encourage women to be their own health advocates and not delay care.
Trujillo-Cortellese was diagnosed last year with Stage 3 Her2-positive breast cancer, a type of cancer that is considered to be aggressive and fast-growing. Lewis was diagnosed in 2008 with estrogen/progesterone positive Her2-negative breast cancer.
Both realized something was wrong when they noticed a lump on the left breast. And both had to undergo chemotherapy and a mastectomy as part of their treatments.
Other breast cancer survivors at the new salon described similar feelings of losing their identity or control of their lives during their cancer treatment. And while every woman’s experience is different, they say the support of their loved ones and having a positive mindset played a big role in their healing.
“For me, I was not concerned about my hair,” Lewis said, recalling how she was able to pull chunks of her hair out after her second round of chemo. “I was not concerned about my breasts.”
“I was in a fight for my life,” Lewis added, noting that her “fight was to make sure I was here for my children.”
For Trujillo-Cortellese, her drive came from the support of her family and friends. She continued to work, spend time with her grandchildren and pursued her acting hobby, and that helped her feel like her normal self. The veteran teacher, who has worked at Broward County Public Schools for 27 years, said her decision at the time to shave her hair, not wear a wig, and stay bald during treatment helped her connect with others in a different, more positive way. She said it “felt like a rebirth” that helped her appreciate life.
“This is me,” said Trujillo-Cortellese. Her cancer is in remission and she’s currently taking an anti-cancer drug.
For Lewis, the support of her husband, her drive to watch her kids grow up, and her trust in God helped her find strength. The mom of three underwent chemotherapy, radiation, a mastectomy, reconstruction surgery, and also a blood transfusion.
“I give God thanks for the doctors but I credit him for my life,” said the pastor and chaplain who has been cancer- free for more than a decade. Lewis said she also found her “purpose” through her breast cancer journey and now leads a nonprofit that helps cancer patients in Florida.
Meredith Feinberg, Memorial Healthcare System’s vice president of cancer services, hopes the array of services offered at the hospital’s new center will assist patients with their healing process, too.
“It’s really a holistic approach to caring for our patients and getting our patients back to their lives and feeling good. And part of feeling good is looking good and feeling good about yourself,” Feinberg said.
What to expect at the new Broward cancer spa
The Center for Mind, Body & Spirit looks like your typical salon when you first walk in, with nail polish, cosmetic and other beauty products on its shelves.
While it offers common salon services for hair and nails, all of its services have a patient-centric twist to them. Here are some of them:
▪ Unlike at other nail salons, the center uses disposable manicure and pedicure tools and won’t cut cuticles to reduce the risk of injuries for its immunocompromised patients, said Kidd. And just like people go to a salon to change their hair color or get a new hairdo, the center’s customers can get a wig fitting, with dozens of hair colors and styles to choose from.
▪ The center also offers therapeutic and lymphatic massages, which are specialized massages that can help reduce abnormal buildup of fluids in the body to reduce swelling, pain and improve mobility.
▪ Also offered: Customers can get fitted for breast prosthetics and lymphedema garments, which are specialized clothing designed to compress the skin and promote fluid flow and circulation to reduce swelling.
The center, which is accredited by the American Board of Certification in Orthotics and Prosthetics, also offers other services including specialized skincare products, cosmetic solutions for brow and lash loss and scars, nutrition counseling, support groups and post-reconstruction support and products.
How much does it cost?
▪ While many health insurances help cover mastectomy products such as lymphedema garments and wigs, patients will have to pay out of pocket for massages, manicures and pedicures, according to the center.
▪ A 15-minute therapeutic massage costs $100. Manicures are $20. And pedicures are $30.
More information
▪ The center is open to all cancer patients, not just those getting treatment at Memorial.
▪ To learn more about the services offered, visit mhs.net. To make an appointment, call 954-265-4325.
