Spa Day Goes Beyond Pampering

Roxanne Powers, an Estée Lauder makeup artist with Belk, treats Durham resident Joyce Laskody to a makeover at the 2014 Spa Day held Wednesday, June 4, at the Duke Cancer Center. Laskody, a retired teacher from Long Island, N.Y., was diagnosed in September with both colon cancer and lung cancer.

In the battle against this formidable foe, cancer, it’s critical to make time to rest, restore and rejuvenate – both body and soul. With that in mind, Duke Cancer Center hosted on Wednesday, June 4, its 7th annual Spa Day, an event organized by the Duke Cancer Patient Support Program. “It’s important that we treat not just the cancer but the whole person,” said Kristy Everette, a recreation therapy program coordinator with Duke Cancer Patient Support Program. “The various services we have here today reflect the resources we offer at the center on a weekly basis.”

More than 300 people attended, including patients and their caregivers. Vendors and service providers volunteered time, talent and resources to pamper patients, some of whom are in a fight for their lives. “I was diagnosed in early September with colon cancer,” said Joyce Laskody, a retired teacher from Long Island, N.Y., who now resides in Durham. “Then a few weeks later, I learned that I also have lung cancer. Battling these illnesses takes everything I’ve got. It feels good to let a professional give doll me up.”

Spa services included complimentary makeovers by makeup artists from Belk, wig styling at the cancer center’s Belk Boutique, massage therapy, gait analysis by Fleet Feet Sports, hand massage, gentle yoga, an introduction to journaling and much more.