Thursday, October 9, 1997
New store in Med Center caters to cancer patients
Reflections offers specialty products, personal attention,
care
By Teresa Jun
Daily Bruin Contributor
Finally. A place where cancer patients can go and have many of
their therapeutic needs satisfied in one warm, caring
environment.
Reflections, a new store located on the first floor of the 200
UCLA Medical Plaza building, provides a wide selection of fashion
and cosmetic merchandise specially designed for cancer patients,
and offers counseling and educational services to help patients and
their families.
Cheerfully decorated and comfortably furnished, this small
boutique is like a "one-stop shopping environment where patients
can get products, consultations, and the warmth and care they need
when dealing with the devastating side effects of cancer
treatment," said Dr. Anne Coscarelli, director of the Rhonda
Fleming Mann Resource Center for Women with Cancer (RFMRC), which
is at UCLA’s Jonsson Cancer Center. RFMRC helped create
Reflections.
Reflections celebrated its grand opening just two weeks ago, and
since then it has received an "overwhelming response," said
Coscarelli.
"They have sensitive, sweet workers," noted Marcy Agmon, a
customer at Reflections and a breast cancer patient receiving
treatment.
According to Coscarelli, one of the most significant
psychological impacts for cancer patients receiving treatment
therapy is dealing with the side effects of treatment on their
appearance, such as hair loss, scars, loss of a breast, and limb
swelling.
"Almost two-thirds to three-fourths of women with breast cancer
deal with serious body image issues," she said.
This is a disturbing statistic because "a person’s psychological
well-being is greatly affected by what one sees in the mirror,"
according to Coscarelli.
In the store’s friendly atmosphere, customers can shop just like
one would at any other fashion store, without feeling
self-conscious or awkward.
"Patients are happy to come into an environment where they can
take off their wig or hat, and nobody’s staring at them,"
Coscarelli said.
In response, Reflections offers a wide selection of attractive
scarves, hats, wigs, prostheses and special bras to help patients
deal with these physical side effects.
"We want to build self-esteem back in the patients," said
Coscarelli, "so that they can return to their own positive
self-image."
More than simply offering such a wide array of
appearance-enhancing products for patients, the store also has
workers and volunteers who take the time to help patients get
fitted for a proper prosthesis or show them how to properly tie a
scarf on their head so it won’t slip off.
"Many of our volunteers are cancer survivors themselves," added
Coscarelli, "so they understand what the patients need and what
they’re going through."
Another bonus: some of the products sold in Reflections are much
more difficult to find in traditional drug stores and markets.
One example of such a product is aluminum-free deodorant.
Patients undergoing radiation therapy are advised not to use an
aluminum-containing deodorant because it interferes with their
treatment.
"But you don’t just find aluminum-free deodorant anywhere," said
Diana Shang, a breast cancer survivor and volunteer at
Reflections.
"It’s just not out there," she added, recalling the various
supermarkets, homeopathic stores, health stores, and drug stores
she visited in search of this product.
In addition to saving patients’ time and energy to locate such a
product, Reflections provides understanding that patients wouldn’t
normally receive elsewhere.
"When you go to all these places looking for aluminum-free
deodorant," added Shang, "you have to explain why it can’t contain
aluminum, and after a while, you get really tired of telling people
about your cancer."
In addition to offering practical items specifically useful to
cancer patients, the store also offers various items for patients’
family members, who may also be going through a traumatic
experience themselves.
A variety of uplifting humor books, self-help guides, mugs, and
gift items are available in the store for those who know a loved
one with cancer.
Because it is a part of the RFMRC, Reflections is closely
connected to the psychological and educational services that the
Resource Center provides for cancer patients and their
families.
Patients coming into the store are informed about the resource
center and its services, such as the library of resources,
individual counseling services, group therapy sessions, and
informational lecture series – all of which are offered free to
patients at the UCLA Medical Center.
Since the Resource Center is located just a few floors above the
store, patients who come into the store in a particularly upset
condition or who just need to talk about something can be
immediately referred to a counselor upstairs.
"When someone is traumatized about cancer," said Shang, "they
need help right then, not weeks later."
Such comprehensive psychological care is what the RFMRC aims to
provide for cancer patients and their families. The center, which
opened in 1994, and its newly-opened store were largely envisioned
and brought about by its benefactor and namesake, Rhonda Fleming
Mann, retired actress and philanthropist.
Mann’s sister, Beverly Engle, had battled ovarian cancer for
about two years before she passed away a few years ago. While Engle
was undergoing therapy, Mann felt that so many of her and her
sister’s needs were not being met outside of the medical realm.
"Doctors can’t go beyond your medical issues and treatment,"
Mann said.
"We needed caring, communication and concern. So many women are
so fearful going through this experience, and they don’t really
have anyone there for them," Mann explained.
So, Mann and her husband helped fund and create the RFMRC.
"It was like a wonderful dream come true," said Mann. With its
non-clinical atmosphere and bright paintings, flowers, and smiling
faces, the Resource Center provides "everything – all the tender
loving care that (Beverly and I) didn’t have."
With the creation of Reflections, Mann is pleased that cancer
patients won’t have to "trek all over the city to find prostheses
and wigs" like she and her sister used to do.
"With all the hope and courage she displayed in her life,
Beverly was really the inspiration for this whole thing. I give her
all the credit in the world," Mann said, proud of the result of
years of hard work and inspiration.
Reflections offers an element of convenience and personal
attention that is almost unmatched, Coscarelli said.
"Reflections is not just a shopping place," said Shang, as
opposed to to pharmaceutical stores, in which you purchase a
medical device from among various other supplies such as braces and
canes.
"The people are caring and friendly. And while you’re there
buying something you need, you can look around and pick up
something nice for yourself too."