Some cancer patients got free wigs, facials and manicures at a pampering party in Bethesda Wednesday.
Djohariah Singer is fighting ovarian cancer for the second time. The first time, she went through treatment for two years.
“It was just so scary because it was not on my radar at all,” she said. “And then I finally got to remission, and then two months later, the cancer came back in seven different tumors throughout my belly.”
She’s kept a smile on her face throughout.
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She was among the patients at nonprofit Hope Connections’ pampering party.
“We just don’t know how to pamper ourselves,” Singer said. “We’re just trying to get up in the morning and function in the morning and eat enough and drink enough.”
“Someone once referred to the lack of hair as ‘that cancer look,’ and if we can take that away, even for a short period of time, I feel that that is a success,” said Mary McCusker of Hope Connections.
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Hope Connections plans two pampering parties a year and has year-round free cancer support groups.
“We want to make sure that no one has to face cancer alone, and that really has been our motto since day one,” McCusker said.
“I think it helps me to help others through this journey,” Singer said. “I can share my experience and help somebody else who’s just starting on this journey.”
Hope Connections also offers other free programs for cancer patients like yoga, meditation and knitting.
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